


"Pretend" Lesbians

by JajaLala



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: (Or at least everyone's retired as a superhero and it won't be referenced), (technically they're not dating so it's 'not cheating' but...), Abusive Parent, Aged-Up Character(s), Alcohol, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Compulsory Heterosexuality, Cuddling, Drinking, Eventual Smut, F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Getting Together, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Kagami has issues :(, Lesbian Chloé Bourgeois, Lesbian Kagami Tsurugi, Masturbation, Minor Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Minor Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant, Panic Attacks, Sex Education, Sexuality Crisis, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Some angst, Sort of cheating, Swearing, They don't know they're gay... yet, Tomoe Tsurugi is not a great parent, no beta we die, unrequited Sabrina Raincomprix/Chloé Bourgeois
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-01-15 05:01:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 51,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21247871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JajaLala/pseuds/JajaLala
Summary: Chloé needs a date to a gala and a deterrent against her father setting her up with disappointing men. Kagami needs someone to deter her mother from setting up an arranged marriage. The two women realize that pretending to be lesbians who are dating each other could benefit them both, and thus shenanigans ensue.Obviously they're only pretending to be in love... right?Updates once a week at least.





	1. Similar Predicaments

**Author's Note:**

> I tell ya, I never thought about Chloé/Kagami until reading [Diablesse](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16873509/chapters/39625284). Then I was like "Hmm... you know..."
> 
> And I go nuts for fake dating. Absolutely feral. Gonna have a fun time (though angst too, fair warning).

Chloé stormed into her room and slammed the door behind her before pulling out her phone. She dashed through her contacts to Adrien, hitting the call button and bringing the phone up to her ear. She tapped her foot impatiently as it rang once… twice…

“_Chloé? This better be an emergency, I’m at work._”

Chloé rolled her eyes, though she knew he couldn’t see it. “I know you’re on your lunch break.”

“_My lunch break is when I’m supposed to get a break from whiny children.”_

“Fortunately I’m not a whiny child.”

Adrien didn’t respond.

“Adrien!”

He laughed. _“Seriously, though, what’s going on?”_

Chloé sighed. “It’s about the charity gala this weekend. Daddy’s trying to turn my date into another dumb political power play.”

_“Another arranged date with some politician’s son?”_

“Or corporation heir, in this case. Vincent Ricardo Jr, who obviously I can’t take as a date to a gala!”

_“You’re gonna have to remind me why not.”_

Chloé huffed, examining her nails. She needed a manicure soon. “I wish you would keep up with the gossip. Aurore went on a few dates with him, and he totally molested her or whatever.”

_ “And you think he’d dare put his hands on the current Bourgeois hotel owner and the mayor’s daughter?”_

“He better not. But even if he doesn’t, taking him as a date would be a slap in the face to every girl there; Aurore isn’t the only one with stories.”

_“So don’t take him?”_

“You don’t get it, Daddy is _insisting_ I take him! He’s all like, ‘Vincent Ricardo Senior asked me as a favor to get his son a date to the gala, since for _some mysterious reason_,” Chloé rolled her eyes again, “No woman he’s asked has been willing to go with him. You’re not currently taking anyone Chloé, can’t you take him? His dad is a big donor to my campaign.’ And so on! He does this every time, using me as some sort of political pawn, trying to ingratiate us to these ridiculous families. You know how many lackluster dates with self-entitled pricks I’ve been on just this month?”

_“Why didn’t you tell him you already had another date?”_

“I did.”

_“You did? Then what’s the problem?”_

“The problem is that I don’t actually have a date. And I claimed it was someone from high society, who I couldn’t bear to snub by canceling.”

Adrien sighed. _“You’re asking me to the gala, aren’t you.”_

Chloé smiled for the first time since the conversation with Daddy. “That sharp brain of yours is exactly why you’re such a good teacher.”

_“Nope, nuh-uh.”_

Chloé pouted. “Adrien, _please_, aren’t we friends?”

_“Parent teacher conferences are this weekend, I’m not about to cancel any of those for you. Sorry, but I need to prioritize my actual job.”_

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

Adrien let out a long breath. _“I don’t know. Look, I’ll check through some of my old modeling contacts, see if there’s a cute boy with good standing I could ask a favor from.”_

Chloé’s mood brightened. “You’re the best, Adrikins!”

_“Yeah, yeah. I gotta finish lunch now. Talk later?”_

“Absolutely! Bye!”

* * *

Kagami took a deep breath. And knocked on the door.

Marinette opened the door, smiling. “Kagami! Come in, come in, make yourself at home.”

Kagami’s nerves unfurled as Marinette expressed nothing but warmth at her presence. She took off her shoes as she entered.

“I’ll start some water boiling for tea, go ahead and take a seat.”

Kagami smiled at Marinette and chose her favorite chair in the living room. She sat with her back ramrod-straight, on her best behavior for such a good friend.

Marinette chuckled. “I said _make yourself at home_, Kagami, no need to seem so tense.”

Kagami sighed and leaned back against a cushion, still maintaining a straight back. Years of Mother snapping at her to ‘sit up straight’ couldn’t be washed away with a just a word from Marinette, but Kagami tried to look ‘comfortable’ so Marinette wouldn’t feel bad. Marinette tried very hard to let Kagami feel safe and free around her, and it would be a shame to put all that effort to waste.

Unfortunately, Kagami was finding it hard to relax today. After her conversation with Mother earlier today, her emotions were a swirl, though expressing it outwardly was obviously not something Kagami was keen on doing.

Despite Kagami’s careful mask, Marinette could still read her. “Everything all right?”

Of course Marinette could tell. Somehow she’d developed a sixth sense for Kagami’s moods. Kagami assumed withdrawing would mean people would know less about her emotions, but Marinette intuited that the withdrawal itself was enough of an indicator that something was going on. Kagami reminded herself that Marinette was a friend, and friends are okay with hearing about their friend’s issues. “My mother is just being… well, you know.”

Marinette set some cups down on the coffee table, then lounged on a couch. Kagami glanced down at the cup Marinette put in front of her. The tea bag was Earl Grey, Kagami’s favorite. “What did she do this time?”

Kagami looked across the room at the photos on one of the walls. There were many people on there, including Kagami in a handful. The photos of Marinette and Adrien together were most numerous, obviously. “I don’t even know where to start.”

The electric kettle clicked, and Marinette got up to pour water into their mugs. After she put the kettle away, she lifted the cup to blow on her tea. Kagami left hers to steep a little longer. Marinette wasn’t always the most patient with tea, and as many times as Kagami had tried to tell her steeping was a necessary part of tea-making, Marinette insisted she couldn’t wait that long. Marinette spoke between puffs of air, “Start anywhere, I’ll keep up.”

“I know she loves me,” Kagami started as a disclaimer, “And I know that she’s trying to look out for what’s best for me. She also has strict ideas about what’s appropriate for me, and what her role as a mother entails in my life…”

“Strict is right,” Marinette muttered.

“But I’m trying to be considerate of that, and I want to be a considerate daughter, but there are some things where she’s very insistent that I can’t help but be a tiny bit hesitant about.”

“Like what?” Marinette asked before taking an experimental sip of her tea.

“Like trying to arrange a marriage.”

Marinette did a spit take, tea flying onto the coffee table as she coughed. “I’m sorry, _what_?”

Kagami got up and grabbed some paper towels on the counter and tossed them onto the spill. “He’s a very nice boy, the son of a friend of my mother’s. He’s got a good job, and I guess he’s conventionally attractive? My mother also says he has good manners and a strong ‘sense of tradition’, whatever that means.”

“Wait, wait,” Marinette waved her hands, “An_ arranged_ marriage?”

Kagami grimaced. “She wants me to go to some sort of marriage interview with this dude.”

“That’s not right! You’re an adult, you have the right to choose your own love!”

Kagami’s eyes were drawn to a photo of Marinette and Adrien on their wedding day. They had been pretty young, barely having graduated high school, but they had been dating for years beforehand and were still going strong today. “Yeah, telling my mother that didn’t go over very well. Like, at all.”

“Your mom is the literal worst.”

Kagami’s shoulders stiffened. “I mean, she’s not the _worst…_”

Marinette glared at her. “Trying to marry you off to someone you’ve never met?”

“Well in her head I think she thinks it’s a good deal…”

“_Love_ is a good deal!”

The front door opened. “Lovebug, I’m home!” Adrien’s voice rang out.

“Kitten, come over here and tell Kagami her mother is crazy!”

Their pet names for each other struck Kagami as kind of weird, but she supposed something about being in love made those silly endearments legitimately endearing to them.  
Adrien came into the living room, “Kagami! Hey, good to see you!”

Kagami smiled at him as he bent down to give Marinette a quick kiss.

Adrien put down his bag. “So what did Ms. Tsurugi do this time?”

“Arranged marriage!” Marinette snapped.

Adrien’s eyes widened. “Uh…”

Marinette continued. “It’s nuts! Doesn’t love mean anything? It’s your life!”

Kagami sighed. “My mother wasn’t very responsive to that line of argument. She told me, ‘It’s not like you’ve been dating people, and there’s no one you like right now, so there’s no problem. If you just try, you’ll grow to like him.’”

Adrien had a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Could you bomb the marriage interview? Convince the guy and his dad that they don’t want you in their family?”

“I don’t think so. She’s talked about arranged marriage before, though usually without a specific man in mind. I get the feeling this is just the first option, and if it doesn’t work out she’s going to move on to the next guy that suits her tastes.”

Marinette pursed her lips. “I guess you could try and bomb every single interview? Get notorious as an unmarriable woman?”

Adrien interjected, “What if you had someone?”

Kagami shook her head. “Like who? She’s right, I haven’t had a crush on anyone aside from that thing with you, Adrien, back in school. And that was more like trying to catch a friendly boy my mother would conceivably approve of than my sincere feelings. Maybe I really am suited for an arranged marriage…”

Marinette stood up. “No! If you haven’t liked anyone before, I doubt forcing you to marry someone would turn out well! You have the right to freedom, even the freedom to never be married if you don’t meet someone you want to marry!”

Kagami chuckled at Marinette’s sense of justice. It was nice to hear a defense, but…

“Kagami. I might have a solution,” Adrien cut in again.

Both girls looked at him, perplexed faces.

“Do you remember Chloé Bourgeois?”

Marinette crinkled her nose, and Kagami tilted her head. “…Yes?”

Chloé Bourgeois. Her memories of the woman mostly came from school, when they sometimes fought over Adrien. She came off as a bit of a schemer, sharp-tongued and with a queenly demeanor. The simplest descriptor might be ‘brat’, though Kagami hadn’t met her in recent years; perhaps she had grown since then. She heard Chloé took over the Bourgeois hotel, but aside from that she didn’t know what was going on in her life.

“She’s in a… well, her situation isn’t exactly the same, but she’s in need of a date for a gala this weekend.”

“How does that help?” Kagami asked.

“If you pretend to have a girlfriend, wouldn’t that deter your mother?”

Kagami’s mouth dropped open. Marinette’s did too. Kagami tried to imagine it. Kagami and Chloé, side-by-side, hands clasped. If Mother saw it, she would lose her mind. She hated to admit it, but her mother would definitely not accept her as a lesbian. Kagami might not be able to handle the fall out.

Then again… maybe she could. This could be the catalyst Kagami needed to assert to Mother that Kagami is allowed to make her own choices. Like Marinette said, she’s an adult now. She should be able to choose who she dates. It might spawn a lot of fights, but fights could lead to change and resolution.

Marinette was the first to speak, “But _Chloé_, though?”

Adrien shrugged. “She also needs someone. Her dad keeps setting her up on dates with apparently horrible dudes for political reasons. She could use a girlfriend to deter that.”

Kagami thought about Chloé again. Chloé did not take anyone’s shit. If Mother was rude to her, Chloé would be more than capable of standing against her on her own. Not to mention since Kagami didn’t actually like her, Chloé would be a good person to get through the initial, biggest, and most damaging family fights with. That way, if she ever found someone she actually liked, they wouldn’t have to go through all that suffering and drama. “That actually sounds like a good idea,” Kagami admitted.

Adrien grinned. “Do you mean it? You’ll do it?”

Kagami nodded. “Yes.”


	2. First Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “We should probably talk about boundaries.”
> 
> “Boundaries? Like what?” Chloé asked.
> 
> “Like, you know,” Kagami pulled her eyes away from Chloé’s lips, “Uh, kissing… and stuff.”

As the waiter stopped by to refill her glass of water, Kagami checked the time for the twentieth time since she sat down. Chloé had agreed on a 7 PM dinner, but it was now 7:14 PM. Kagami had purposefully come  five minutes early, to make sure she wouldn’t leave Chloé waiting.

Maybe it was all a trick. Chloé would be the type. Kagami was not the sharpest when it came to pranks. She didn’t think Adrien would prank her, but maybe Chloé didn’t tell him it was a joke and was laughing that Kagami would think Chloé would ever consider her as a fake girlfriend.

Kagami tried to shake off those pessimistic thoughts. When she entered the restaurant and spoke of a Bourgeois reservation, she was whisked away to one of the nicest tables in the restaurant, a plush booth with candlelit lighting. Kagami looked at the menu, noting the lack of prices listed. A reservation here wouldn’t be cheap, and as extravagant as Chloé was, she wouldn’t waste money on something she didn’t get to enjoy.

The sound of determined heels on the floor made Kagami look up from her menu. Chloé Bourgeois strutted into the restaurant, sharp black bumps blending into black tights. Her yellow dress hugged her curves, but flowed behind her below the hips at the fast pace of her steps. A black cardigan covered most her top, but it was left open so the boat neck of her dress and the jewelry on her neck was exposed to the dim restaurant lighting. Her hair was trussed up into a high bun, held perfectly in place with a shiny ornament. Chloé’s eyes, framed with heavy lashes, (Mascara? Fake eyelashes?) scanned the room before landing on Kagami. She did not smile at Kagami. Kagami did not smile at Chloé either, but raised a hand in recognition. Chloé nodded, and approached the table.

She took a seat and snapped her fingers, summoning the waiter. “I’ll have the zucchini noodles and a bottle of chateau.”

The waiter nodded. “And you, miss?”

Kagami straightened up and glanced down at the menu again before ordering, “Uh, can I get the cauliflower au gratin?”

The waiter nodded and left. Chloé leaned against the table, staring at Kagami. “I assume Adrien explained the situation?”

“Not in great detail, but he seemed to think we could benefit each other.”

Chloé’s eyes scanned Kagami up and down. Kagami narrowed her eyes at Chloé. Was she judging her right now? “My girlfriend would wear more jewelry,” Chloé commented idly.

Kagami paused, flummoxed. Was that an insult? Or was that Chloé being legitimately concerned about their cover? She glanced down at her own outfit, a nice red dress, but admittedly no jewelry. She decided to treat it like a joke. “Perhaps you should buy her some for your anniversary.”

Chloé huffed out some air, an impression of a laugh. “Expect a one-day anniversary gift tomorrow then.”

“Will we say we started dating as of today?” Kagami asked.

“No, I told Daddy I had a date a few days ago. Let’s say we’ve been discreet for the past few weeks.”

“Adrien said you’ve been on a lot of dates this month. Does that mean you were cheating on me?”

Chloé frowned. “We became exclusive last Sunday.”

“I’m going to call that our anniversary then.” Kagami got out her phone to mark it in her calendar.

The waiter came by with the wine. Both women sipped the alcohol as the conversation continued, loosening their tongues.

* * *

“…No, I’m pretty sure you would have asked me out,” Kagami declared, tipsy, speaking between bites of au gratin.

Chloé shook her head. “It’ll be obvious to anyone that someone as esteemed as me would never be desperate enough to ask someone out.”

Kagami sighed at Chloé’s worldview. “But asking someone out isn’t desperate, it’s  _brave_ .”

That made Chloé ponder a moment. “So you’re saying I’m braver than you?”

“Yes?”

Chloé’s face was getting red from the wine.

“So we’ll say you asked me out…”

“W-wait, I didn’t actually agree to that,” Chloé interjected.

Kagami leaned on the table. “Aren’t I special to you compared to all those guys who asked you out? It’ll be extra special if I’m the only person you ever asked out. How could your dad dare to try and pry us apart when you love me so much?”

Chloé pouted. “You don’t know that I’ve never asked anyone out before.”

“You called it desperate behavior.”

“You think I’ve never been desperate?”

“Have you asked someone out before, then?”

Chloé swallowed a big bite of her noodles. “…No.”

“Well as of today, you asked me out on Sunday.”

Chloé crossed her arms and huffed, but didn’t object any further. Kagami called that a win. Chloé occupied herself by dabbing the edge of her lips with a napkin. Kagami’s eyes were drawn by the movement.

“We should probably talk about boundaries.”

“Boundaries? Like what?” Chloé asked.

“Like, you know,” Kagami pulled her eyes away from Chloé’s lips, “Uh, kissing… and stuff.”

Chloé uncrossed her arms. “Kissing me in public is fine.”

“I’m not totally comfortable with kissing.”

Chloé raised an eyebrow. “Just a peck for the cameras is fine. We don’t have to do tongue or anything ridiculous.”

Kagami shook her head. “I’d rather not kiss at all.”

Chloé huffed. “Well then how are we supposed to establish how gay we are?”

“Holding hands?” Kagami offered.

“Do you have something against kissing me?”

“Not you specifically,” Kagami clarified, “I just don’t think one should kiss someone they’re not in love with.”

Chloé rolled her eyes. “But we’re  _supposed_ to be ‘in love’.”

“I’m not  _actually_ a lesbian, and certainly not for you.”

“Me neither, but I’m not a prude about it.”

Kagami pursed her lips. “No need to be rude.”

“Would it help if we practiced?”

Kagami realized she would need to change techniques if she wanted Chloé to back off. “You seem awfully desperate to kiss me.”

Chloé leaned back at the accusation. “What? I- that’s- I’m just trying to be convincing.”

Time to deliver the ultimatum. “No kissing or no girlfriend.”

Chloé grumbled, but acquiesced. “Fine, whatever.”

The air was tense, both women going into an awkward quiet. Chloé was done with her noodles, and Kagami was almost done with her food as well. She lifted the wine to pour a little more into her glass, but there was no drink left. She put the wine back down.

Kagami dared to break the silence, “…So was that our first couple’s fight?”

Fortunately, Chloé laughed. “Certainly not the last.”

“So what’s the deal with the gala? What will I have to do?”

Chloé tilted her head. “I think it’s the ideal time to reveal our relationship. So if there’s anyone you want to tell before they hear it from the tabloids, you better tell them soon.”

Kagami shook her head. “I want to surprise my mother.”

Chloé snorted. “Oh, teenage rebellion, eh?”

“I’m not a teenager.”

“You’re a late teenager. Most people got the rebellion out of their system while they were kids. You never did, so you’re making up for lost time.”

“You seem pretty rebellious right now, have you not outgrown it either?”

“Are you kidding?” Chloé drank the remaining wine in her glass. “I was so much worse in high school. Nowadays, Daddy asks me favors all the time and I do them with barely a complaint.”

“All those dates?”

Chloé grimaced. “Yeah.”

“Being forced on a bunch of dates with people you’re not interested in seems like a good thing to rebel about, regardless of age.”

Chloé also tried to pour more wine, before discovering the bottle was empty. She flagged the waiter down to get another. After the waiter refilled their glasses and left a new bottle, Chloé continued, “Maybe… I guess I feel like I owe it to him now.” She sighed. “You remember what I was like in high school. I didn’t exactly make things easy on him, but he still loves me so much. He never let my behavior shake his faith in me…”

Kagami went silent, not sure how to respond appropriately to Chloé opening up. Maybe they had a bit too much to drink.

“…Sorry to bore you, just trying to say Daddy deserves my help.”

“Are you going to tell him about us?” Kagami asked.

“I’ll tell him I’m dating someone, I’m not going to specify who until we reveal it at the gala.”

“Why not?”

Chloé stared into the distance. Her voice was quiet. “I don’t know. He’s not against me dating, but I don’t know what would happen if he thought I was dating a girl.”

“You don’t think he’ll be accepting?”

“He loves me, but he also doesn’t like politically polarizing things to be publicized. If I tell him beforehand, and he asks me to keep it under wraps…”

Kagami nodded. “I don’t think my mother is going to have a great reaction.”

Chloé giggled, an unfamiliar sound. Wow, that wine sure did a number on her. “Isn’t that your goal?”

“I guess it is.”

“Your mom is weird as shit. Arranged marriage? What is this, the 15 th century?”

Kagami’s hackles raised at the insult towards her mother. “It’s not all that uncommon, just not in France.”

“It’s like you’re some sort of bullshit princess,” Chloé leaned forward, “What royal family is she trying to strengthen alliances with?”

“Uh…” Kagami avoided Chloé’s playful eyes. “I don’t know? The Hiko family?”

“Who the fuck are they?” Chloé’s language was getting awfully colorful.

“My mother is friends with them. They have a son who’s just a little older than me.”

“Well is he rich?”

Kagami nodded.

“Cute?”

Kagami shrugged. “I guess? I’m not great at judging that kind of thing. But his picture seemed nice?”

“Is  _he_ nice though?”

“I haven’t met him. I don’t know how I’d check.”

“You take him on a date, a date got it?” Chloé swayed slightly as she spoke, “And you like, you tell him that he’s getting  _nothing_ from you. He’s not allowed to touch you, okay? And he has to pay for the restaurant. But you’re not gonna give him you-know-what.”

“’You-know-what’?”

Chloé rolled her eyes, but leaned forward and whispered loudly, like it was a big secret, “ _Sex_ .”

Kagami wondered if maybe she should walk Chloé home. Although Kagami’s glass was still practically full, she decided at least one person ought to be sober and made a note to drink nothing else.

“’Cause you know… that’s all boys want… Unless they’re really nice, then they’re willing to wait or whatever I guess. The longer they wait, the more they love you.”

Kagami was not an expert on relationships, but that didn’t sound exactly right. “Uh, sure.”

“Like it’s soooo much work. If a guy loves you, he shouldn’t ever pressure you to have sex, ever, at all. Like  _ever. _ The best boyfriend is the kind that loves you and serves you and doesn’t expect any sort of sexual favors from you.”

“Um, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You wanna know? You seem like a virgin, aren’t you?”

Kagami’s face heated up, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Chloé waved her hand, wrists limp, “I know I’m mean but that wasn’t tryna be mean, I’m just sayin’, ya know?”

“I’m gonna be honest, you seem pretty drunk and confusing right now.”

Chloé slapped a hand on the table. “I’m not even drunk! Don’t be ridiculous!”

Kagami leaned back. “…Uh-huh.”

“I’m,  _at most_ , just an itsy-bitty-bit tipsy! Tipsy!”

“Why don’t you continue your thought?”

“What thought?” Chloé tilted her head.

“Calling me a virgin?”

“Oh yeah!” Chloé giggled and scooted closer to Kagami. Her voice dropped to a loud whisper again. “Sex fucking  _sucks_ .”

“…Okay.”

Truthfully, Chloé was right when she pegged Kagami as a virgin. So Kagami didn’t exactly have the firsthand experience to counter that claim. It seemed suspicious that so many people would have sex if it was all that bad, but Kagami certainly believed Chloé had experienced disappointing sex. “Who have you even had sex with?” After the words came out of her mouth, Kagami realized it was maybe a rude question to ask someone. She glared at her glass of wine.

Fortunately, Chloé was not phased by the question. “You remember Nathaniel?”

“A little?” Kagami dimly recalled a redhead.

“We dated for awhile. After him, I don’t think you’d know any of the others. A fashion-designer dude who made business suits, and an embarrassing hookup situation with a man at a club.”

“Frankly I find the thought of you hooking up hard to imagine,” Kagami admitted.

“Me too. Which is why half-way through I just got up and left.”

Kagami’s mouth dropped open. “What do you mean, like…?”

“Like we were naked in bed, doing the do, and I was like ‘get off me for a sec’, and when I had the chance I just grabbed all my clothes off the floor and left.”

Kagami blinked. Truthfully, Kagami didn’t think all that much about sex, so being confronted with even a bare-bones account of a hookup was a little shocking. Especially when the account was from Chloé Bourgeois. Kagami struggled to imagine it, and was suddenly confronted with the image of Chloé, completely naked, sprawled out on a bed, lips out in a pout…

Fortunately, before Kagami could get embarrassed about the mental image, the waiter came by with the check. He put it in front of Chloé, rather than near Kagami, and Chloé automatically gave him her credit card.

“I can pay for my share,” Kagami tried to tell Chloé.

Chloé vigorously shook her head. “I invited you out tonight, don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”

“My pretty little-?”

The waiter came back and returned Chloé’s card, so the two of them left, Chloé stumbling the whole way.

Once they got outside, Kagami pulled out her cell phone. “I’ll call my chauffeur…”

A smooth silver car pulled up to the curb, and the driver hurried out to open the door for the two of them. Chloé grinned at Kagami, “Don’t even bother, I texted mine.”

“Oh.”

The two of them got into their seats, sitting at opposite ends. While Chloé struggled to buckle her seat belt, she asked, “What’s your address? We’ll drop you off.”

Kagami couldn’t bear to watch Chloé uselessly scrape the buckle together, so she reached over and put it in correctly as she responded, “Let’s go to your place first.”

Chloé belatedly realized Kagami was trying to help her buckle and softly slapped her hand away. She stared down at the seatbelt, and upon recognizing that she was secured, looked back up at Kagami without any more fuss. “We’ll drop you off first.”

“I think you might need some help getting home.”

Chloé glared at Kagami. “I’m literally  _fine_ , I’m not  _that_ drunk.”

“But what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t walk you back to your room?”

“Wha-” Chloé furrowed her brows. “Uh… Hmm…”

Confused Chloé was surprisingly endearing. Before Chloé could argue the point further, Kagami told the driver to go to the Bourgeois hotel, and without any direct counter-order from Chloé, he began driving.

Chloé clicked a button, and a divider rose between the driver and the backseat. “So we’re fake girlfriends,” Chloé stated, as though testing the words on her lips.

“Isn’t that what we discussed this whole night?”

“You are going to get some jewelry delivered tomorrow.”

Kagami smiled at that. “Alright.”

“And you will send me a picture of your gala outfit.”

“Sure?”

Chloé didn’t say anything else. Kagami let the silence continue, unsure of what they would even talk about. When they reached the hotel, Kagami walked closely with Chloé, determined to catch her if she stumbled. However, the ride seemed to have sobered her up enough that she didn’t go flying, so Kagami was left uselessly hovering beside her right up to the room door.

“Well, good night,” Kagami said as she turned to leave.

“Wait.” Chloé grabbed her hand.

Kagami waited.

“No kisses on the lips, right? Is that your only hard limit?”

“I guess?” Kagami responded, quiet in case there were any hotel workers in the hallways, “That kind of kiss is special, but other stuff is probably fine.”

Chloé nodded, thoughtful. Then she lifted up Kagami’s hand, and kissed the back.

Kagami froze. Chloé seemed unaffected by Kagami’s awkwardness, just giggling at her own action and dropping Kagami’s hand. Chloé took a step back, entering her room. “Good night, Kagami.”

Kagami gulped as the door closed.

There was no way  _Chloé_ was  _cute_ .

* * *

Mother was waiting when she got home. “You’ve been out awfully late.”

“I had to take a friend home. She drank a bit much and it would have been irresponsible to let her go home alone.” Frame it as a matter of responsibility. Mother valued responsibility.

“I needed to talk to you, and you made me stay up late.”

“Sorry, Mother, you have my full attention now.” 

“Your marriage  interview is on Saturday night.”

The night of the gala. “Sorry, I’m busy that day-”

“I know you don’t have work,” Mother stood up, making her way back to her bedroom, signaling she was already done with the conversation, “So rearrange any other plans with your friends.”

Kagami took a deep breath. She was able to fight with anyone except Mother. Her mother easily spun and twisted her words until she was left floundering. So instead of attempting a scene and delaying her mother’s bedtime, she just bowed her head. “Yes, Mother.”

Satisfied, her mother went to bed.

Kagami let out a breath, but she knew she wasn’t in the clear yet. She had just lied to Mother, which usually left her out of sorts. Her body felt like it was buzzing lightly, nervous energy aching to escape. Kagami used to do strange things like running in circles or  bounc ing her leg while she sat to release the energy, but the sounds annoyed her mother so she had been trained out of it. Now she was much better at letting the buzz permeate her brain, leaving her body motionless so she wouldn’t annoy anyone.

Uneasy, but unable to anything else, Kagami went to bed. Her mother would be in for a surprise Saturday when Kagami doesn’t show up for the marriage meeting. She’d be in for an even bigger surprise once the news of Kagami’s ‘girlfriend’ gets out.

She breathed carefully, softly, trying not to make too much noise. Mother would never listen to Kagami’s reasons, Kagami didn’t even know if she had the ability to articulate the reasons she wanted something… something more. Just a little more freedom, a bit more breathing room. So if Kagami couldn’t find the words, she would use actions to communicate. Her mother would have to address that something was wrong if Kagami was behaving so egregiously.

Kagami tried to focus on Chloé, distracting herself from her shaking feelings. Chloé was absurdly confrontational, perhaps Kagami could learn from her. There wasn’t much confrontation tonight (mostly giggling), but there was plenty of time to learn.

Eventually, Kagami slipped into a restless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chloé: All sex sucks and is the worst, and it is completely normal for a straight woman to hate having sex with men.  
Kagami: That doesn't sound right, but I don't know enough about sex or being straight to dispute it.
> 
> Also yes they have decided not to kiss for now... I tagged this slow-burn for a reason, but keep in mind I'm too horny to not have them do anything... after all lips kissing is only one form of affection ;)


	3. Fashion Emergency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “No.” Chloé stated.
> 
> “No? What do you mean, no?”
> 
> “Text me your address, I’m coming to pick you up. Clearly you can’t choose a good outfit to save your life, so I’m going to help you out.”

Chloé tapped her phone angrily, sending a text to Kagami asking about her outfit.

She was certain she had told Kagami after dinner to send her a picture of her outfit for the gala, but it was now Saturday morning and Chloé had no idea what Kagami was going to wear. If this evening was going to involve Chloé ‘coming out,’ she wanted every detail to be perfect.

Kagami sent back a cutesy dragon sticker with the words ‘sowwy’ on it. Chloé snorted at the response. The adorable sticker contrasted with Kagami’s stiff in-person mannerisms. Chloé didn’t know what kind of stick was up her ass, but even when Chloé tried to get her drunk, she was serious as ever.

Memories of the dinner made Chloé cringe, just a tiny bit. Chloé didn’t usually get that drunk, but with the direction of the conversation she kept finding herself drinking to loosen up. She wasn’t great at talking about intimate things, so she craved the liquid courage of alcohol at the time. After all, if they were supposed to be girlfriends, they should be able to act comfortably around each other.

Not that Kagami was making it easy on Chloé. No kissing? At all? That cut out so many cute picture opportunities for social media. Chloé ended up spending the night thinking about other forms of intimacy they could engage in for the public. Kagami seemed to have a specific hang up on lips kissing, so Chloé hoped they could do other things without a fuss.

Her phone pinged. Kagami sent a picture. Kagami stood in front of a tall mirror, posture perfectly straight, and a stiff smile on her face. One hand held the phone, while the other was raised in a ‘peace’ symbol. The outfit, though… Plain black, long-sleeve, up to the neck, plain, with only a hint of lace on the end… Chloé hit the call button. Kagami picked up instantly.

“No.” Chloé stated.

“_No? What do you mean, no?_”

“Text me your address, I’m coming to pick you up. Clearly you can’t choose a good outfit to save your life, so I’m going to help you out.”

“_Wha- _”

Chloé hung up. To drive the point home, she texted demanding the address. Kagami sent it to her, then sent a confused dragon sticker.

* * *

Kagami walked out of the house, still in that dress, and entered the car with a pinched expression. “What’s wrong with my outfit?”

As soon as Kagami closed the door, the chauffeur continued driving.

“And where are we going?”

“Somewhere where we can get you something _ presentable _.”

* * *

“Why are we at Marinette’s house?”

“What did I _ just _ tell you?”

Kagami blinked. “Oh.”

The chauffeur jumped out to open the door for the two of them.

As they stepped out, Kagami spoke hesitantly. “…Don’t you hate Marinette?”

“But I adore Adrien, and he tells me you two good friends. As much as I hate to admit it, getting a fashion designer to fix you up the day of the gala would be near impossible without phoning in some personal connections.”

Chloé rapped on the door three times before immediately ringing the doorbell. When no one responded in the first ten seconds, Chloé knocked again. And again. And-

Chloé’s fist nearly hit Marinette’s face when she opened the door. Fortunately (for Marinette, Chloé could have enjoyed it,) Chloé paused her action mid-air, leaving a hand hovering inches away from Marinette’s nose.

Marinette’s face scrunched up in disgust. “Chloé? What are you doing here on a Saturday morning?”

Chloé glanced over Marinette’s outfit. A fluffy pink bathrobe with matching pink slippers. That kind of coordination was exactly what Chloé needed Marinette for. “I’m calling in a favor.”

“I don’t owe you any favors,” Marinette started to close the door.

Chloé grabbed Kagami’s arm and pulled her into Marinette’s line of sight.

It was the right move, since Marinette stopped. She opened the door wide and stepped back. “Kagami! What brings you here?”

“Uhh…” Kagami glanced between the two women.

Chloé pushed Kagami in, following close behind. “She’s planning to go to my gala tonight dressed _ like that _.”

Marinette closed the door behind them before looking Kagami up and down with an appraising eye. “What’s wrong with that? It’s a solid choice, plain but certainly no disaster.”

“I don’t want a ‘solid choice’!” Chloé exclaimed, “I know Adrien must have told you, but let me remind you: Kagami and I are supposed to convince the press we’re girlfriends, and there’s no way I’m going to have a girlfriend anything short of show-stopping.”

“Partners don’t have to share fashion tastes,” Marinette commented, idly kicking a pair of bright yellow crocs Chloé recognized as Adrien’s as she made her way to the living room.

“I don’t want people to look at Kagami and think, ‘Oh she’s okay,’ I need every single person in that room to turn their head and drop their jaw,” Chloé gestured at Kagami for emphasis, “I need every single person there to be dripping in jealousy at the fact that I have her on my arm. I need them to take one look and immediately think: ‘Yes, any woman would turn into a lesbian for her.’”

Marinette’s eyes were wide at the description. A glance at Kagami revealed she was a little red at the detail. Chloé held her ground, locking gazes with Marinette to express the importance of Kagami’s appearance.

After the surprise faded, Marinette let out a chuckle. “Well, fair enough. I’ve always wanted to give Kagami a makeover anyway.”

Chloé nodded, satisfied.

Marinette led them upstairs into a large walk-in closet. “So Chloé, first things first: What will you be wearing?”

Ever prepared, Chloé opened her phone and showed a photo she had taken yesterday. Her outfit, a white off-the-shoulder dress with flowers blossoming on the one sleeve. The flowers were black, and printed black vines swirled down the fabric. The dress was tight, long, with a slit up to her thigh. Her black shoes were the perfect complement. Marinette stared a good while at the picture. Then, with an abrupt tilt of the head, she practically leaped into her closet.

“You like black?” Marinette asked Kagami.

“Sure?” Kagami seemed unprepared for the attention.

A bundle of black fabric was thrown at Kagami, and she fumbled with it a moment before it unfurled into a more recognizable shape, a tight dress with a fluffy skirt.

“Should I…?”

“Yeah put it on, I’ll have more to add once you do.” Marinette continued digging.

Kagami popped into the bathroom to change, leaving Chloé with Marinette. Marinette pawed through hangers like a woman gone mad, and Chloé simply watched her. She hated to admit it, but Marinette was talented. At least half the things in this closet were designed by her, and the only reason Chloé wasn’t wearing one of her designs to the gala tonight was so Marinette wouldn’t rub it in her face. Just as Marinette made a happy ‘I-found-it’ squeak, Kagami returned.

“I can’t quite reach the zipper, could you…?”

Chloé went around her and reached for the zipper in the back. It was a bit of a loose fit, and the fabric threatened to catch on the metal teeth, so Chloé pressed a hand to Kagami’s lower back to keep the fabric taut. Kagami stiffened under her touch. Once fully zipped, Chloé took a step back.

A white blazer was almost immediately thrown onto Kagami. A set of dark tights was also added. As Kagami looked at herself in the mirror, Marinette was stabbing safety pins into the fabric to mark where seams should be pulled in. “I’m glad we’re close to the same size, but once I bring this in you’ll look you just walked out of a magazine,” Marinette told her.

Kagami gave a blank smile. Marinette puttered around her, and Chloé occupied herself on her phone. She was checking the Bourgeois social media accounts, making sure her interns hadn’t gone rogue before the gala (she’d like to trust those kids, but after last year’s Halloween debacle… well, she keeps an eye on them now). She responded to an email about a meeting next week, caught up on a news story-

“And she’s perfect!” Marinette exclaimed.

That made Chloé look up. Kagami’s shoulders looked sharp enough to kill, accented by shoulder pads in her white blazer with black accents. The dark dress had a sweetheart neckline, like a soft surprise once one got past the prickly jacket exterior. The surprise continued as the eyes trailed down to the fluffy skirt portion, ruffled fabric creating a striking silhouette before disappearing to show her curvaceous calves, covered with the black tights. Chloé was surprised to see shoes had been added, Marinette must have been a similar shoe size. The black platforms had white shoelaces, and left a sturdy impression lest someone think the fun of the skirt was too ditzy.

Chloé gulped. _ ‘Yes, any woman would turn into a lesbian for her.’ _ Wasn’t this what she wanted?

“That will be sufficient,” Chloé finally responded.

Kagami breathed out, then turned to Marinette. “Can I take this off now?”

“You’ll have to, so I can take those seams in properly. Would you guys mind waiting in the living room? I’m just going to hop on the sewing machine…”

* * *

Downstairs, Kagami sat on one of the chairs with her back perfectly straight. Chloé didn’t know anyone else with such perfect posture. Even Adrien, an ex-model, didn’t have such impeccable posture. Kagami glanced at Chloé, then seemed to deliberately ‘relax’, leaning back so her shoulder blades were pressing against the chair back.

Chloé took a seat on the couch. “I can’t believe she didn’t even offer tea or snacks.”

“I can get us some tea.” Kagami got up.

“You don’t think Marinette will mind?”

Kagami shook her head. “I come over for tea pretty often, I know where she keeps all her stuff.”

Chloé watched Kagami move confidently through the kitchen, filling the electric kettle, and bringing mugs down from the first cabinet she opened. Chloé leaned on her fist, watching Kagami’s certain strides. She lacked any extraneous movements, like a robot programmed for maximum efficiency. When she opened another cabinet however, she finally paused. She didn’t putter about in uncertainty, but immediately turned to face Chloé. “What kind of tea would you like?”

“Is there chamomile?” Chloé asked, choosing a common type.

Kagami didn’t respond, but grabbed two teabags, so there must have been some. As the water heated, Kagami brought over a tray with honey and sugar cubes. She perched back in her chair. She didn’t fidget, didn’t shift position, didn’t glance around. Chloé stared at her, since she wasn’t staring back. After a few moments, Kagami slowly turned her head to face Chloé, and Chloé bounced her eyes to the tray on the coffee table. “Do you take anything in your tea? I should have asked.”

“Honey and sugar,” Chloé assured her, “You?”

“Nothing.”

They sat in silence. Chloé found her foot tapping, unsure of what to do and what to say. How could Kagami sit so calmly? Was she not nervous at all?

The kettle went off, so Kagami went to fill the cups and brought them over. Chloé watched the steam rise, and did not bother to pick up the mug. She dripped in a bit of honey and two cubes of sugar, but after mixing that she left the tea to cool.

Eventually, Chloé was tired of the silence. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Huh?” Kagami’s face at least showed expression now, some light surprise.

“Shouldn’t I know things about my girlfriend? Is it red?”

Kagami shook her head. “Red is a bit of a family color… honestly nowadays I’m pretty fond of white.”

Chloé didn’t know what else to say to that, so she let her mind freely associate. “So if we got married, would you want wear the white wedding dress then?”

Kagami raised an eyebrow at that. “We’ve only been fake girlfriends for a few days, and you’re already thinking about marriage?”

“No need to be so serious,” Chloé rolled her eyes and leaned back, trying to look casual about it, “It’s just a silly thought. I would also want to wear the dress, so I don’t think we’d be compatible long-term.”

“Well if we’re having silly thoughts, why couldn’t we both wear a wedding dress?” Kagami questioned.

Chloé frowned. She didn’t know why not.

“What’s your favorite color?”

Chloé was relieved at the topic change. “Yellow. Favorite food?”

* * *

Once Marinette came back downstairs, she shooed Chloé away. “I’m sure you have plenty to do before the gala.”

“You’re right, let’s go, Kagami.”

“Nuh-uh.” Marinette wrapped an arm around Kagami’s shoulder. Chloé noted that Kagami remained relaxed, even under the touch. So Kagami was not completely averse to human contact, as Chloé suspected. “I’m taking Kagami for the day.”

Chloé pouted. “Are you cheating on me, Kagami?”

Kagami shook her head. “I can’t be cheating on someone I’m not dating.”

“I better not hear that at the gala tonight.”

Marinette pulled Kagami closer. “Don’t you worry, we’re going to do a proper makeover for tonight, I’ll deliver her to you looking like a goddess.”

“You better,” Chloé insisted before departing.


	4. Gala, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two of them eventually made their way to a snack table. Chloé plucked a grape and held it out in front of Kagami. Kagami stared at it. Chloé shook it a bit, but Kagami continued to stare, aghast at why Chloé was lifting it up. Did she want Kagami’s appraisal? “…You have a very nice grape there?”
> 
> “I’m trying to hand-feed you, idiot,” Chloé hissed quietly.
> 
> “Oh.”

“…And so of course I told him I would do anything to keep the orphanage open…”

Chloé rolled her eyes. She had just gone to grab a flute of champagne from one of the servers, but she couldn’t help but overhear Lila Rossi regale some poor bloke with her lies. Chloé glanced over at him, noting he was the president of a shoe company. A lot of his factories were run in China with cheap labor.  _ Probably using orphans _ , Chloé though uncharitably.

Next to Chloé, Kagami also grabbed some champagne, though she did not drink from it at first. Chloé glanced around the room, scouting out who to schmooze with. Some dignitaries, a handful of celebrities, and more businessmen than she wanted to keep up with. She tried to ignore Alya’s familiar auburn hair, having gotten in with a press pass. Honestly, there was more press allowed in than was typical at these gatherings, and Chloé had a very good reason why. 

She looked at the reason, who finally sipped at the champagne in her hand. Marinette had certainly delivered on her promise, leaving Kagami a goddess. Chloé had mentally prepared herself for the outfit, but it turned out Marinette was pretty good at literal makeovers, adding just the right amount of makeup to enhance Kagami’s gorgeous face. Chloé bounced between staring at the incredible work and trying not to seem obsessed with how well-done it was. Kagami caught Chloé’s stare and tilted her head as though asking why the eye contact. Chloé resisted the urge to down her glass, no sense getting drunk with the wolves about.

Her father had not arrived yet, so she was a prime target to the brown-nosers and parasites in the crowd. Chloé had striven to maintain her bitchy reputation to deter potential useless networking attempts, but despite her efforts these galas always seem to pull the worst of them out of the woodwork.

A man approached her. “Chloé Bourgeois! So good to see you again.”

She obviously appraised him, lips downturned. He was dressed well, but so was everyone else here. Most importantly, she did not recognize him. If she didn’t recognize him, he was not important enough for her to not snub. “I’m in the middle of a conversation with my girlfriend,” Chloé snapped before turning away from him to face Kagami directly.

She did not see his expression, but he made a choked expression of surprise. That made Chloé smirk. She leaned in towards Kagami and grabbed her hand. “That bracelet looks good on you.”

Kagami was stiff. “Uh, thank you. You bought it for me.”

Chloé sighed. Kagami needed to loosen up. She lifted Kagami’s cup up, encouraging her to drink some more, and hesitantly Kagami took another sip.

“So is that how this is going to work? You just tell everyone as soon as you talk to them?”

That was the third person Chloé had ‘come out’ to. Chloé smirked at Kagami, “Yup, nice and casual. Sooner or later it’ll spread to the press,” Chloé glanced around for Alya again, “And then we’ll give a quick cute interview.”

“I had imagined more of an ‘announcement’ type thing…” Kagami muttered.

“I thought about that,” Chloé admitted, “But I didn’t want to distract from the charity message of the gala. I’m just doing a quick introduction for our main speakers, trying to insert my relationship with you into that introduction seems ridiculous.”

Oh yes. Technically this was a charity gala, something about helping kids with cancer. Not that anyone here had any sincere care for it (aside from perhaps Prince Ali, but that was Prince Ali). The charity was a pretty excuse to gather rich folks into one room to play their social games.

Chloé noted a girl hovering around the snack table. She could have been a young adult based on the way she was dressed, but the wide eyes and awkward stance revealed a teenager. Chloé frowned at her presence. Chloé remembered being her age, carted around to stuffy ‘adult’ functions by her parents, with almost nobody to talk to. It was one of the reasons she bonded with Adrien so quickly, being an Agreste meant he got shuffled through the same dull parties and he was one of the few people Chloé’s age to talk to.

“I’ll be right back,” Chloé told Kagami.

The girl seemed surprised by Chloé’s approach. “Who are you?” Chloé asked.

“Who are you?” The girl countered.

Chloé snorted. “Chloé Bourgeois. This hotel is mine.”

The girl glanced around. “Oh. Okay.” She plucked a grape from the table. “I’m Maria Hedges.”

Ah, daughter of Mr. Hedges then, he ran a conglomerate corporation, and a scan of the room showed Chloé that he was busy buttering up his competitors wife. Now that was some drama to keep an eye on.

“Dad had to be here, and he said I couldn’t stay home without a babysitter.”

“Sucks to be you.”

The girl bit a cracker aggressively. “It really does.”

Chloé looked around the room. She saw an older man, a foreign dignitary, who used to talk to her often during these sorts of parties when she was in high school. Although it had been nice to have someone to talk to her, sometimes he would keep talking to her when she would try to get out of the conversation. Once he had told her to come up to his hotel room, and though Chloé fortunately turned down the offer, she hadn’t known what it meant at the time. “Any trouble?”

The girl shook her head. “Just bored.”

“If anyone bugs you, especially guys who just want to talk at you and are boring you even more, tell them that you just got a text from Chloé Bourgeois asking for you to go talk to her, and come find me.”

She rolled her eyes. “Sure.”

“Or any situation at all you want to get out of, I’ll be around the room.”

The girl rolled her eyes again, more exaggerated this time.

Chloé was about to continue a conversation, but movement around Kagami caught her eye. A young man was making conversation with her, and a concentrated gaze revealed none other than the infamous Vincent Ricardo Junior. Chloé rapidly approached, heels clicking on the floor at an urgent pace. Kagami was not exactly a social extraordinaire, Chloé needed to protect her, as her ‘girlfriend’ it would be unsightly to allow any man to flirt with Kagami. Chloé walked faster as Vincent reached his hand out to tuck some hair behind Kagami’s ear.

Kagami’s hand snapped out to grab his wrist, aborting his motion an inch from her face. Huh. Maybe Kagami didn’t need  _ that _ much protection. Chloé reached in time to hear Kagami ask. “Did I say you could touch me?”

“Geez, no need to overreact-”

“Answer the question.” Kagami’s voice was low, commanding, and Chloé didn’t dare interrupt. “Did. I. Say. You. Could. Touch. Me?”

His hand twitched. Chloé stared at their point of contact, had Kagami just squeezed it threateningly? That was… Chloé’s chest swelled with pride at her actions. His face twisted, lost at the lack of ‘manners.’ “N-No?”

Kagami released him, and he pulled back, rubbing his wrist gingerly. “Then don’t touch me.”

Now free, he gained the courage to express some judgment, “Um, no need to be rude about it? You’re such a-”

Chloé slipped an arm around Kagami’s waist. Kagami flinched, but a quick glance back to identify Chloé prevented another attack. Chloé leaned close to Kagami, but spoke loud enough for Vincent to hear. “Darling, is this man bothering you?” 

Vincent floundered again when he was outnumbered. “Uh, we were just having a chat- I gotta go, my dad’s calling for me- bye.”

Chloé couldn’t help but snort at as he skittered away, tail between his legs.

Kagami turned away from Chloé. “You done talking to other women?”

Chloé walked in front of her and put on her best rogue-ish smirk. “Why? You jealous?”

“Should I be?”

“Not of that girl. She’s just a kid, I told her to come to me if anybody gave her trouble.”

Kagami raised an eyebrow. “Ah yes, everyone here has a vendetta against children. Who wouldn’t give her trouble?”

Although Chloé appreciated the sass, she did not appreciate the naivety of the statement. “I was more think sleazy older men.”

Kagami’s face lost it’s sarcastic edge. “Oh.”

* * *

The two of them eventually made their way to a snack table. Chloé plucked a grape and held it out in front of Kagami. Kagami stared at it. Chloé shook it a bit, but Kagami continued to stare, aghast at why Chloé was lifting it up. Did she want Kagami’s appraisal? “…You have a very nice grape there?”

“I’m trying to hand-feed you, idiot,” Chloé hissed quietly.

“Oh.”

Kagami glanced around. There weren’t many people paying attention to them, most busy in conversation. Wait, was that Alya over there? Oh she just noticed them, now she was walking over…

“Is that too much?” Chloé started to pull the grape back.

Nope. Kagami had already messed up being a girlfriend enough recently, she could at least do this. She darted her head forward, like a snake pouncing on it’s prey, and snatched the grape out of Chloé’s retreating hand with her mouth. Her lips made the slightest contact with Chloé’s impeccably manicured fingers, and she tried not to think about that. As she chewed on the grape (yum, juicy,) Chloé seemed frozen, hand still up in the air, gaze locked on Kagami’s with her eyes wide.

“Well, well, I heard the most unbelievable gossip about you two, but perhaps it isn’t as impossible as I thought.”

Alya’s voice made Chloé snap out of whatever stupor she was in. Chloé pasted on a devious smile. “Oh? What kind of gossip?”

“I’ll tell you if you let me get your reaction on record.”

“Pull up the camera.”

Alya pulled up the camera. Was it taking a video? Or was she taking a picture? Kagami didn’t know how to tell. Alya leaned in. “So Kagami is your date to the gala today?”

“Of course.”

“Would you like to comment on the nature of your relationship?”

Chloé smirked and put her hand around Kagami’s waist. Kagami had been surprised when she had done that earlier, but she was more prepared now, and tried not to jump in surprise with a camera on her. Blindly progressing, Kagami leaned her head closer to Chloé. Chloé was notably taller than Kagami, so she ended up leaning on Chloé’s shoulder. “We’re very close.”

“Platonically? Or…” Alya’s eyes were glinting, “Something more?”

Chloé gave a coy wink. “I asked her out last Sunday.”

Kagami almost jerked in surprise. Chloé had technically agreed to being the ‘one to ask the other out’, but she had expected that to only come up if someone asked, rather than Chloé volunteering the information.

Alya almost squealed. “Well firstly, congratulations to the happy couple! You are a couple, right? I’m not misreading?”

Kagami decided she ought to speak at least once to the press. “Yes, we’re very in love.”

Chloé squeezed Kagami’s waist. “Darling you can’t just  _ say _ things like that, I’ll get embarrassed.”

Alya lowered her camera a bit and spoke with a conspiratorial tone. “Chloé, I’m surprised… but not  _ that _ surprised, you know?”

That made Chloé blink in confusion. “Huh?”

“This explains a lot.”

“A lot?”

Alya’s eyes suddenly locked on something going on across the room, and she started walking away. “Let’s chat later. Exclusive interview for a dear classmate? I’ll text you.”

“Wait what did you mean by-” Alya did not slow down at Chloé’s calls.

Kagami wrapped her own hand around Chloé’s waist. If Chloé was doing it, Kagami should be able to do so too, right? “First press interview.”

“Alya better be thankful I’m letting her break the first news.”

“Will it be exclusive?”

Chloé shook her head. “I have a fun idea.”

Kagami raised an eyebrow. “What does that entail?”

“First, I gotta know…” Chloé released Kagami, slipping her hand to hold Kagami’s creating a bit of distance between them, but also allowing them to face each other. “How scandalous do you want to be?”

“Hmm…” Kagami took a deep breath. “Well, my mother might disown me from just Alya’s release… And for skipping the marriage interview… so why not go all in?”

Chloé laughed at that. “Full scandal it is then.”

Chloé pulled her along, still holding her hand, away from the main room. Kagami was a bit confused, didn’t they want a maximum audience? Instead, Chloé was dragging her away from witnesses, until they were… on a deck? There was nobody else there. There were various potted plants, and a few seats with tables, but it seemed like it wasn’t set up today as part of the gala.

Kagami looked around for an explanation, but there was just her and Chloé. They still had a pair of hands interlocked, and Chloé used their link to pull Kagami close to a wall. Kagami followed along, still confused, as Chloé used her other hand to push Kagami’s shoulder until she was flat against the wall of the hotel, closed in by the fencing of the deck on one side and the hydrangea plant on the other.

Also closing in on her was Chloé’s face, growing closer by the second. Kagami’s heart leaped into her throat. What was going on? Kagami told her not to kiss her, not unless it was real, so why would Chloé…? Kagami thought she should push Chloé away, it was the appropriate thing to do. But a strange sense of curiosity enveloped her, wondering where this would lead. When was the last time Kagami threw all caution to the wind, and just let anything happen? So she laid back, closed her eyes…

But instead of a sensation on her lips, all she felt was breath on her ear. “Gossip rag reporters like to hide in the bushes out here,” Chloé whispered.

Kagami opened her eyes, growing flush from her misunderstanding of the situation. She just hoped Chloé hadn’t noticed her expectations. With the pressure suddenly released, Kagami tried to get a hold of herself; this was all just pretend. Obviously Chloé didn’t think of her that way. And no way did Kagami think of Chloé that way. She just got a little… curious. She stuffed the strange bubbling anxiousness at Chloé proximity down. She wouldn’t mistake Chloé’s behavior again.

It was hard to ignore the constant warm breath to her ear though. “A lot of people think sneaking out onto the deck is the perfect place to make out.”

Kagami wondered how she had never realized how sensitive her ears were. “But we can’t-”

Chloé brought a finger up to Kagami’s lips, instantly shutting Kagami up as she tried not to think about the contact. “Shh, don’t worry. These photographers aren’t interested in the truth. We just lean close enough together, and they’ll find an angle that implies everything we need.”

Kagami resisted the urge to squirm as Chloé leaned even closer.

“Hopefully this gets plastered all over the news tomorrow…”

Kagami couldn’t take it anymore. The breath, the closeness… It was all too much. But she couldn’t just push her away, otherwise the headlines tomorrow would be ‘Hottest new couple fighting?’

“…And in combination with Alya’s reporting, of course we can expect-”

Kagami bent her knees, grabbed the back of Chloé’s thighs, and lifted her up. Chloé’s rambling was interrupted with a squeak, and she squirmed a bit in Kagami’s steady grip. Quickly though, Chloé wrapped her arms around Kagami’s neck, clinging on for stability as Kagami took a few steps forward.

“K-Kagami!” Chloé exclaimed, “Put me down!”

Kagami lowered Chloé onto one of the tables and pushed her down. Chloé stared up at Kagami, face red, but not resisting as Kagami towered over her. “You can dish it, but you can’t take it?”

Chloé pouted at that. Now that Kagami wasn’t trapped beneath her warmth, her head felt clearer. She glanced around at the greenery that surrounded the deck. She couldn’t see anyone, but a small flash made her suspect a camera. How could she spin this pose into a proper scandal scene Chloé would be proud of?

She crawled on top of the table as well. Chloé squawked at the move, even though Kagami was barely brushing along Chloé’s sides as she got on her hands and knees above Chloé. Kagami decided to give Chloé a taste of her own medicine and put a finger up to Chloé’s lips. “Shh, no need to act so surprised about your  _ girlfriend _ trying to pin you down.”

Chloé stared up at Kagami, and Kagami had to admit seeing Chloé speechless was a fun sight. She doubted many people got to see this bold, bratty, blonde this lost for words. She noted Chloé had her hair up, which couldn’t be comfortable to lie down on. Kagami couldn’t remember ever seeing it down, certainly not in the past few years. Her hand started to go up towards the hair, tempted to pull it out of its bun-

A buzz against her thigh made her jump. It made Chloé jump too, and their foreheads knocked together. Kagami pulled back, clutching her head, hoping there wouldn’t be a bruise. Chloé cursed, then slid back to get out from under Kagami. With a sigh, Kagami pulled out her cell phone from the pocket of the dress (because of course Marinette, the angel that she is, designs dresses with pockets).

Kagami drew in a sharp breath when she saw who was calling. “It’s my mom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Updates weekly"  
More like slightly more frequently than weekly.... though this time the next update will actually be about a week (at least not until Mon/Tues) since I'm about to travel and be busy for a couple of days. I'm just quickly posting this now so it's not over a week.


	5. Gala, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Are you like… going to answer it?” Chloé asked.
> 
> Kagami hit the green button to answer the call.

“Your mom?” Chloé repeated.

Kagami nodded, mute. She stared at the phone. And at the time the clock in the corner listed. It was fifteen minutes past when the marriage interview was scheduled. A familiar sense of dread rose in Kagami, but she forced it down. She should feel bad for accidentally missing events, not for her deliberate choice to miss the interview. This time she was going to stand her ground, her mother would realize how unreasonable her demands for Kagami were, and Kagami would enjoy the rest of the gala pretending to flirt with Chloé.

“Are you like… going to answer it?” Chloé asked.

Kagami hit the green button to answer the call. Her mother’s voice was sharp. “_ Kagami, where are you? _”

Kagami took a deep breath. She was going to resist. This time, she would not let Mother bulldoze over her. She was an adult, she could make her own choices.

“_ **Kagami.** _”

Her mother’s sharp voice made her flinch. Oh no, could she really do this? She was her _ mother _, she gave Kagami everything, Kagami wouldn’t be alive without her, and now Kagami was making so much trouble for her. Was it really worth being happy if Mother was unhappy-

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone grabbing her hand. She glanced up at Chloé, mouth open without words to say. Chloé simply pulled her inside. Oh yeah, there was paparazzi out there. Not that they would be likely to hear from their distance, but better safe than sorry, she supposed.

“_ Kagami? Are you there? You better explain yourself. You’re embarrassing me by being so late.” _

Even though they were inside, Chloé didn’t let go of Kagami’s hand. Kagami gave it a squeeze. Chloé did what made her happy, why couldn’t Kagami? “Mother. I told you I’m busy today.”

_ “It took ages to figure out a time the Hiko’s could visit, they’re very busy people, you need to come here right now. Nothing you’re doing could be more important.” _

She didn’t even ask what Kagami was busy with. “I’m not coming.”

“_ What has gotten into you? Don’t be foolish, if you come right now we can still salvage this. _”

“You’re not listening to me-”

_ “You’re not listening to me, Kagami! Don’t I always do what’s best for you? Who raised you? Who brought you into this world?” _

Kagami gulped; she couldn’t argue with facts. “…You did.”

“_ I’ve worked so hard, and this is how you repay me? Do you think that’s reasonable? Do you want to hurt me?” _

“N-no, of course not-”

_ “You’re being cruel right now, you’re not even thinking about my feelings.” _

Kagami felt smaller by the minute. “I’m sorry…”

_ “Sorry isn’t good enough. If you’re really sorry, come here right now.” _

Well Kagami didn’t _ hate _ her mother, but if she didn’t go her mother would think she hates her. She didn’t really have a choice, did she? “I’m sorry, Mother, I’ll head over right-”

Chloé grabbed the phone out of her hand and brought it up to her own ear. “Hey bitch.”

Kagami froze at Chloé’s audacity. You don’t just _ say _ things like that to people. Or at least not to your own mother. Though admittedly, Tomoe Tsurugi technically wasn’t Chloé’s mother… but still!

There was the fuzzy sound of her mother’s indignant voice at the other end, but Chloé interrupted it, “She told you she’s busy, can’t you get that through your thick skull? Let me repeat it for you in case you’re too self-absorbed to listen to anything: Kagami. Is. Busy. So fuck off.”

With those parting words, Chloé hung up. The phone rang again immediately, but Chloé turned off the entire phone.

Kagami stared, mouth agape, unable to move. She told her mother she would go, but Chloé-

She had forgotten their hands were still intertwined until Chloé tugged on it. “Come on, let’s go back to the gala.”

Kagami was terrified of what would happen when she got home. But technically it was _ Chloé _ who had been so disrespectful… Kagami still loved her mother; she was disobeying, but she wasn’t trying to be cruel. She was just trying to spread her wings a little. Kagami followed along slowly, trying to push the thoughts of her mother out of her mind. Mother didn’t even know where Kagami was right now. At least for the few hours before Kagami goes home, she was safe. Chloé had basically made the decision already, would it be so bad to follow that flow? To chase that warm sunshine away from the cold terror that wrapped around her heart when her mother called her name? Even just for a little while?

Daring to chase that feeling, when they reached the main room Kagami drew close to Chloé, clinging on her arm. Chloé glanced down in surprise, but didn’t shake her off. Kagami dared to smile up at Chloé, and Chloé immediately turned away. Nonplussed, Kagami swept her eyes over the other attendees. It was getting later into the night, and people were a little more relaxed than they had been.

Kagami was relaxed too. She felt like she had just dived into the water, terrified of the cold, but now acclimating. Yeah there would be hell to pay once she got home, once she got out of the water and was left shivering on the shore, but for now she was floating weightless with Chloé by her side. She might as well have fun and cause a scandal while she’s here.

* * *

Okay wow Kagami was suddenly a lot clingier than she had been earlier that night. Before, Kagami stiffened with even the slightest touch, and now she was practically draped on Chloé’s arm.

Also wow Kagami had a really cute smile that really wasn’t healthy to look at while she was pressing up against Chloé, staring up at her with the warmest eyes she had ever seen on her.

And wow it was getting hot in the main room, she needed to cool down.

At the drinks table, she just got a sparkling glass of water on ice. She asked if Kagami wanted anything to drink, but Kagami just smirked and plucked Chloé’s glass out of her hand, taking a coy sip. “I’m not too thirsty, we can just share.”

_ What if I’m very, very thirsty though? _

Chloé averted her eyes from Kagami’s dumb _ smile _ and caught the eye of one of Daddy’s big donors. The woman, an elderly heiress, gave Chloé a narrow-eyed look before approaching the couple. Chloé put on her best manners persona, knowing that an insult could land Daddy and herself in hot water.

“Ms. Graham, your hat looks wonderful.”

“Yes, I have great taste,” Ms. Graham barely registered the compliment, eyes locked on Kagami. “And who might this be?”

Kagami smiled at the woman. “Kagami Tsurugi. And you are?”

“Desmona Graham.” Her eyes darted between the two women. “…You two seem very close.”

“I hope so,” Chloé told her with a smirk, “We’re dating.”

Ms. Graham’s eyebrows raised until they were hidden beneath her hat. “…Ah.”

Approaching from behind Ms. Graham, Daddy was walking quickly to reach Chloé.

“Chloé, darling, I’m sorry I was late,” Daddy called out to her, “That shareholder meeting was rather… eventful.”

“No worries, Daddy, I’ve been keeping a good eye on the party-goers. Like Ms. Graham, here,” Chloé smoothly shifted the conversation so Daddy could acknowledge Ms. Graham as soon as possible.

He gave Ms. Graham a kiss on the back of her hand. “Wonderful to see you.”

“And you,” She returned tersely.

“How are you enjoying the party?”

“Oh, you know,” She responded vaguely, “Catching up with folks.”

“Anything interesting?”

She glanced at Chloé and Kagami. “Well, I must admit I’m surprised by your… progressiveness.”

That made Daddy tilt his head. “I’m sorry, I don’t quite follow?”

“Well,” She sighed, “It’s a challenge in this political climate, but things are changing for the better every day, so I’m sure your daughter will be able to get through it.”

Daddy’s eyes snapped back to Chloé. “Chloé?”

“You’re a very open-minded father,” Ms. Graham assured him before noticing someone, “Pardon, I just saw someone I need to greet.”

As soon as Ms. Graham was out of earshot, Daddy turned to the couple. Chloé looked at him with an angelic mask, as though there were nothing wrong. If she could hold that mask, maybe he’d be swayed in her direction. Kagami was also holding an agreeable expression for once, excited and pleased all at once to be holding onto Chloé. Daddy looked over the two of them, eyes lingering on Kagami’s tight hold. Chloé held her breath.

And Daddy chuckled. “Well, I can’t say I didn’t see it coming.”

That threw Chloé for a loop. “W-what?”

He sighed. “Congratulations on your… girlfriend?”

Kagami thankfully spoke, since Chloé was in too much surprise to speak right now, “Yes, we started going out recently.”

“Well good for you two. And Kagami, you must come over for dinner soon, I’m a bit busy but I’m sure I can find some time for my daughter’s girlfriend.”

“Wait, back up,” Chloé was still reeling from her father’s first comment. “Why aren’t you surprised?”

“I’m a bit surprised it’s Kagami,” He commented, idly twirling his drink, “But I’ve always had my suspicions that boys were not your preference.”

“I’ve had boyfriends!” Chloé declared, alarmed at the direction of the conversation.

“Ah yes, Nathaniel the pack mule who carried all your bags and who you would _ never _-” Daddy glanced at their close contact. “-let touch you that much. And that fashion designer… well, I assumed you two were being beards for each other.”

“_ Daddy! _”

He raised his hand up in surrender. “Sorry if it was supposed to be a surprise… I thought you were keeping it on the ‘low-down’ for my sake, with all my political work…”

“Okay, one: It’s ‘down-low’, not ‘low-down’, and two-”

Chloé was about to tear him a new one for mistaking her sexuality, but Kagami gave her a squeeze, and Chloé recalled that the ‘pretend’ part of their relationship was supposed to be a secret.

“’And two’?”

“Uh… and two, yes Kagami will come over for dinner some time. I only haven’t invited her because I hadn’t introduced her properly as my girlfriend yet.”

Daddy smiled. “Glad to hear it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I should greet the other guests around here.”

Chloé slumped as he walked away, networking and schmoozing among the crowd like a fish to water.

Kagami bumped their hips together. “Not that many people seem surprised.”

Chloé pouted. “You saw that old lady’s face though? Eyebrows lifted right off her forehead.”

“At least people are believing us.”

Chloé didn’t want to respond to that. She was still confused about how not just Alya, but even her own father immediately jumped on board the lesbian Chloé train. She was straight! She was completely normal! She shouldn’t be giving off these gay vibes to people!

“Chloé?” Kagami spoke with just a hint of concern.

Chloé shook her off her arm. “I need to visit the ladies room.”

She walked quickly away, suddenly uncertain with this whole plan and her proximity to Kagami. She didn’t look back, but she didn’t hear footsteps following her.

Once in the bathroom, she looked in the mirror. She was perfection personified, of course. Perhaps a little red. She took a deep breath. If she didn’t have a precisely layered display of makeup on her face she would have splashed her face with cold water to try and calm herself down. Not that she was panicking or anything.

She had to be straight. This whole performance with Kagami was just to get people off their backs, and maybe have a little fun with a scandal. Kagami was just starting to get friendly with her because they were getting _ friendly _, nothing more. They were probably friends at this point. Chloé called plenty of people friends, for the sake of networking, but there weren’t a ton of people she would necessarily call actual friends she would hang out with just for fun. Adrien. Sabrina. She wouldn’t call Alya up to hang, but she legitimately enjoyed her company sometimes at stuffy events like this. And now she had Kagami, laughing and smiling and touching…

As friends. Friends who were doing each other a favor. Nothing more, nothing less. Not that Chloé wanted anything more or less. Female friends did this much all the time, she was certain she had seen Alya and Marinette hanging off each other even more than Kagami and Chloé were now.

But Kagami wasn’t touchy by nature. Chloé didn’t know a ton about her, but it hadn’t been hard to notice. Even around Marinette, she hadn’t been especially physical. Not like she was now. She knew it was all fake, all for the sake of their deception, so Chloé hated that it made her feel… feel… special? Like she had secured a challenging business deal with a company that had refused to deal with any other hotels. Straight girls could feel special from the attention of a friend. Nothing sexual or gay about that. That happens. That had to be what Chloé was feeling.

Since she was in the bathroom, she did in fact use the bathroom, and left feeling a little less flustered. Nothing was wrong. Just two friends, pretending to be in love, totally staying just friends.


	6. Gala, Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Kagami, where’s the bae?”
> 
> “Restroom.” Kagami responded simply.
> 
> “Then can I ask you some questions?”
> 
> Anything that will make me not think about my mother. “Yes.”
> 
> “Okay, number one: How is Chloé in bed?”

Kagami shifted her weight from foot to foot, before thinking about how uncertain she must look and settling in a solid stance. Her mother would not want her to show fear…

The thought of Mother made her take in a sharp breath. Nope, she was not going to think about that. Flirting with Chloé was a nice distraction, but now that Chloé was in the restroom, Kagami didn’t know what to do with herself. Although she had been to fancy events like this before, socializing at these sorts of things was not her forte. She usually stayed by her mother’s side for the whole time…

She took a deep breath in, and a deep breath out. She needed a new distraction. She wanted to open her phone and pretend to text someone, but if she turned on her phone she’d have to confront Mother’s incessant calls. She searched the room for literally anyone or anything she could use to occupy her mind.

Alya was giggling with someone, whispering and smiling. Kagami didn’t know the other person, but Alya was pretty much the only person she knew here, so she would throw herself to  her mercy. She approached, and fortunately caught Alya’s eye. Alya smiled at her, and gave her companion and polite farewell before coming close to Kagami.

“Kagami, where’s the bae?”

“Restroom.” Kagami responded simply.

“Then can I ask you some questions?”

_ Anything that will make me not think about my mother _ . “Yes.”

“Okay, number one: How is Chloé in bed?”

Kagami thought she was great at suppressing her expressions, but she couldn’t hold back an audible gasp at the question. She didn’t even know where to begin on that one.

Alya grinned like a Cheshire cat at the reaction. “Come on, just a hint is fine. I’m curious.”

“She-” Kagami opened and closed her mouth, mind blanking at the idea of- the audacity-  _ Chloé Bourgeois _ , in bed with  _ Kagami Tsurugi _ , doing- oh no Kagami couldn’t think about this. “She, uh…”

“Your face is getting real red,” Alya leaned in closer, “Is it that embarrassing? Don’t tell me she’s got some sort of serious weird kink you can’t share.”

“Kink?” Kagami echoed, aghast. Kagami had heard of kinks, though she didn’t have any and had never considered whether Chloé might. What even were kinks? Kagami’s mind jumped to people spanking each other, wearing weird cosplays, Chloé tied to a bed-

Nope. Nope. Nope.

“Kagami?” Alya’s voice got softer. “Sorry, are you actually alright? Tell me if I’m going too far, but I’m really curious.”

“Our, uh, that sort of t-thing is uh,” Kagami stuttered out, “Private.”

A hand touched her shoulder and she flinched. A quick turn of the head revealed Chloé though, so she relaxed. Chloé pulled Kagami back a bit from Alya’s prying eyes before asking, “What’s private?”

“Your sex life,” Alya explained with no hesitation.

“You’ve still got no class,  Cé saire.” Chloé had a tiny smile.

“She’s so shy about it, I can’t help but wonder if she’s trying to hide Chloé Bourgeois’s career-shattering kink”

Chloé rolled her eyes. “Turn off reporter-mode for like, two minutes. Not everyone’s into sharing all the details of their personal life.”

“Aren’t we friends though?” Alya asked with an exaggerated pout directed towards Kagami.

Were they friends? Kagami overall liked Alya, and they had definitely hung out a bunch due to both spending time with Marinette. They didn’t spend time together without Marinette, though.

Chloé pulled Kagami closer. “A good friend like you knows how to not pry, I’m sure.”

Alya smirked. “Me? Pry? Never.”

“I need to introduce some folks. Like, officially on the microphone. Don’t get into too much trouble while I’m gone,” Chloé told them.

Kagami watched her go, once again left floundering, but relieved that Alya might be discouraged from her sexual details quest by Chloé’s easy dismissing responses.

Not to mention, once Chloé started announcing the guest speakers, it would have been rude to speak over them, and Alya was engrossed in capturing the details of their speeches anyways. Chloé had to stay up there to emcee between the various people who spoke grandly of efforts to help children with cancer.

Chloé shone on stage, even though she wasn’t technically the star of the show (if one could call it a show), her presence captured all attention when she was present. Her posture was always cock-sure, leaning on one leg with a hand on the hip, lips in a certain smile.

After announcements, people were shuffled off to an official dining room, a similarly large space filled with dozens of round tables and buffets. After filling plates, Chloé and Kagami grabbed two seats beside each other.

Kagami watched Mayor Bourgeois sit with someone else at another table. “Why doesn’t he sit with you?” Kagami asked.

Chloé shrugged. “We spend plenty of time together outside of this sort of thing. We need to take advantage of times like this to network with others.”

Kagami frowned. “Am I interfering with your networking by hanging off you the whole time?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Chloé waved her hand, dismissing the worry, “Half of my ‘networking’ involves emphasizing how unattainable I am by ignoring people. The other half is making people feel flattered that I would deign to talk to them.”

“Everyone?”

“Well, everyone below me. The third half involves ingratiating myself to the people above me who I might ever want favors from.”

“That’s three halves.”

“Because I always give 150%.”

Kagami had to laugh at that.

“Mind if we join you ladies?” A man followed by a girl asked.

Kagami recognized the girl as the one Chloé had talked to earlier that evening. Chloé smiled at them. “Go ahead.”

“I’m Jean Hedges, nice to meet you,” The man introduced himself to Kagami. Apparently he assumed Chloé remembered him, and based on her non-combative behavior she must have.

“I’m Kagami Tsurugi.”

The girl sat down and immediately pulled out her phone. Jean Hedges coughed and elbowed her. She looked up and gave a gigantic sigh before responding. “I’m Maria Hedges.”

He elbowed her again.

“Nice. To. Meet. You.”

Kagami returned the greeting, but the girl was already looking down at her phone again.

“Kagami Tsurugi… I think I’ve heard that name before. Are you a big fencer?”

“ Yes, I’m taking a break now though, ” Kagami corrected, stiffening at the reminder. Her hand unconsciously brushed over her knee, running along a scar.

“Yeah, you were in that championship last year…”

Chloé seemed to notice Kagami’s tight shoulders and swiftly averted the conversation.

The new conversation was something Kagami struggled to keep up with. They broadened the topic towards sports in general, and Kagami was completely lost. The only sport she knew anything about was fencing (and kendo). When they started gossiping about the latest tennis news, Kagami felt her eyes glaze over.

She looked over at Maria, who was still engrossed in her cell phone, bored expression while she slowly ate her dinner. Kagami related hard to her.

“Kagami?”

Kagami broke out of her thoughts. “Huh?”

Jean looked over at her. “I asked how you met Chloé.”

“Oh,” Kagami glanced at Chloé, did they need a cover for this or anything? “We ended up meeting as teenagers. Had friends in common.”

“Have you guys been friends since then?”

Chloé’s eye glinted. Kagami suspected that Chloé derived pleasure from correcting people on this point. She draped an arm around Kagami’s shoulder before responding. “Most recently, girlfriends.”

Maria’s head snapped up from her phone. Jean’s eyes widened. “O-oh, congratulations.”

Maria looked between the two of them for a minute. When she caught Kagami’s eye, she averted her gaze back down to her phone.

The conversation moved on.

* * *

Chloé walked her out to the car. Kagami took slow steps, desperate to delay her return home by even seconds.

“Kagami.”

They were on the curb, and Chloé had requested her own personal chauffeur bring Kagami home. Kagami looked at Chloé.

Chloé bit her lip before speaking. “If… I don’t know the details about like, you and your mom or whatever… But if for whatever reason you need somewhere to crash… I literally own a hotel.”

Kagami had to smile at that. “Thanks Chloé.”

Chloé crossed her arms. “It’s no big deal. I wouldn’t want my girlfriend to be homeless.”

“I appreciate it anyway.”

When Kagami ended up in the car, she tried to take deep breaths.  Now that she was separated from Chloé, the world felt a tiny bit colder.  The car ride ended far too quickly, and she was soon in front of her house.

She got out of the car. She didn’t know exactly what would happen once she entered her door, but she knew it wouldn’t be pretty. Had her mother heard where Kagami was? She doubted Mother would be keeping up with gossip websites, but she wasn’t sure how much she would have searched.

She tried to shake away speculations as she approached the door. She would find out soon enough what her mother knew, and how much she was willing to accept.

She gulped, and opened the door.


	7. Tsurugi Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Kagami Tsurugi.”
> 
> She straightened her back. “Mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If shitty parenting might be a trigger for u, I recommend skipping to the scene after the line break. Endnotes summarize what happened.

“Kagami Tsurugi.”

She straightened her back. “Mother.”

Her mother, sitting in her chair by the door, didn’t respond.

So she was waiting for Kagami to say something first. Where should Kagami even start? Apologies were usually safe. Her mother usually let her say those, didn’t speak over her. “I’m sorry for missing the marriage interview.”

“And?”

“…And?”

“What else do you have to apologize for?”

Kagami thought it over. Quite a bit, honestly. “I’m sorry for hanging up. And letting Chloé talk to you like that. And not properly communicating more that I would not be available today.”

“And?”

Kagami was still standing by the door. She didn’t feel like she was allowed to sit down yet. She had more to apologize for? She wracked her brain. “And sorry for, uh, embarrassing you in front of the Hiko family.”

“And?”

“I don’t know what else you want me to apologize for,” Kagami admitted.

Her mother clicked her tongue, and Kagami flinched at the sound. “If you’re so sorry, you shouldn’t have done it in the first place.”

Kagami steadied herself. “I had my reasons.”

Mother’s frown deepened. “If you hurt someone, do the reasons matter? Does having a good reason to hurt someone make the pain go away?”

Kagami waited for her mother to continue, but she did not. Oh, she wanted Kagami to verbally admit it. “…No.”

“You hurt me and yourself today, Kagami. Kaito Hiko is a fine man, and you might not be able to recover from insulting him like this.”

Kagami steeled herself. Marinette was strong and had good advice, and she told Kagami that wanting to marry someone she loved was valid. There were options beyond what Mother saw. “I don’t want to marry  him .”

Mother stood up at that. “You haven’t even met him. I wouldn’t choose a man you couldn’t love.”

“Mother, do you even care why I skipped? I-”

“Do you even care about me?” She countered, “I’m trying to improve your future. Ever since you were old enough to hold a foil, I gave you all the tools and skills to be the best fencer in the world. I gave you everything, and you went ahead and failed at it. Now I’m trying to help you succeed with a good husband instead, and you’re failing at that too.”   
Kagami clenched her fists at the reminder of her injury. The resultant loss of the championship last year was an emotionally trying time for both her and Mother.

Mother continued, “I want you to have a secure future. You won’t even give this boy a chance, even though I thought long and hard about the choice. Do you think I make bad choices? Do you think I’m a terrible mother?”

“No,” Kagami assured her.

“Then why do you ignore all of my decisions? How can you be so ungrateful?”

The conversation was already twisting, and Kagami had to refocus on her original goal. “You won’t even let me tell you why I skipped.”

“Did I stop you? Did I tell you that you couldn’t say anything? Why are you putting words in my mouth?”

“That’s not what I’m trying to do!”

“Don’t yell at me.”

Kagami lowered her voice. “I was at a gala.”

Her mother scoffed. “You skipped a meeting that could determine your future for a party. Wow, where did I go wrong with you?”

“It was a date. With my girlfriend.”

The silence that followed was both freeing and terrifying. It was admittedly gratifying to hear Mother shocked into silence for once, thrown off enough that she couldn’t immediately counter Kagami. Unfortunately, she had confidence that Mother would find a way to bring it back to how disrespectful Kagami was; the silence was the calm before the storm. Kagami’s hands were trembling.

Her mother furrowed her brow. “A girlfriend.”

“Yes.”

Mother’s voice was deathly quiet. “Is that who was on the phone?”

Kagami recalled Chloé’s rude words. “…Yes.”

Mother sighed. Her shoulders hunched, and she collapsed on the chair. Kagami was frozen, until the sound of a sob forced her into action. Kagami approached, putting a hand on her mother’s back in an attempt at comfort. Mother’s shoulders shook with the sobs.

“I’m sorry?” Kagami tried out the words. They didn’t feel right, but apologizing was safe. Maybe her mother would accept that.

“If you were really sorry you wouldn’t be like this!” Her mother choked out.

“It- it’s not a bad thing,” Kagami tried to defend.

“How am I supposed to have grandchildren? Did you even think about me?”

“There’s adoption? I- I don’t know, there’s options still…”

“You don’t understand.”

Mother continued to weep. Kagami didn’t know what else to say, so she sat beside Mother, trying to comfort her with soft circles on her back. Guilt roiled in her gut. She wanted Mother to be affected, to experience something that would force her to pay attention to Kagami’s desire for freedom, but this display was distressing. Kagami wasn’t sure it was worth it. Along with the guilt, though, was a mounting frustration. Kagami felt secure in the knowledge that her relationship was pretend, but what if it was real? Would her mother actually hate her over who she loved? The thought hurt her more than maybe it should.

After a few minutes, her mother wasn’t shaking so much. Kagami kept her hand on Mother’s back when Mother sat up straight. Mother released a deep sigh. “It’s okay, Kagami.”

Kagami felt a vice grip around her heart release. A breath of fresh air entered her lungs, and a smile came unbidden to her face. “Mother…”

“We can fix this. You are going to call your girlfriend and break up with her.”

Cold reality fell onto Kagami once again. Her throat felt tight.

“You didn’t tell anyone, did you? We can sweep it under the rug, and no one will ever have to know.”

“Mother,” Kagami spoke slowly, already dreading the reaction, “We’re publicly out.”

Her mother pushed Kagami’s hand away. “Don’t lie to me.”

“We told everyone at the party. There was press there.”

Mother stood up abruptly. She reached out her hands, feeling for Kagami’s face and running a hand along her cheek. “Kagami.”

“…Yes?” Kagami shivered under her mother’s touch.

The slap against Kagami’s cheek echoed against the walls of the room. Kagami’s head turned from the force of the blow, and she didn’t bother to turn it back. She stayed standing, and resisted the urge to put her own hand against her cheek to check the damage. Her mother was still reaching her hands out to grab Kagami’s face again.

Mother pulled her in close, whispering to her, “You’re no daughter of mine.”

Kagami felt tears slipping down her cheeks, but steadied her breathing so she wouldn’t let out any annoying sounds. Mother was sensitive to that.

Mother let go of her face, turning away. “Get out.”

Kagami stumbled a step forward. She didn’t want things to end like this. “Mother…”

“No.” Mother raised her hand sharply, causing Kagami to flinch, but she did not strike again. “You, an ungrateful brat who only knows how to make me suffer, don’t get to call me that.”

Kagami’s heart was pounding against her ribs. “You can’t just kick me out-”

“I can’t tolerate you right now. I am  _ suffering _ because of you,” Mother’s voice was acidic, “I can’t even stand to be in the same house as you. Get out.”

“But Mother-”

“I said  _ get out!” _

* * *

_ Knock, KNOCK, knock. _

Chloé was roused from her sleep by a sound. She grumbled. Had someone stumbled to the wrong room?

_ Knock, KNOCK, KNOCK knock knock _ .

She groaned, flicking on a lamp on her nightstand before shuffling on a bathrobe and making her way to her door. If this was an employee, they were fired.

_ Knock, knock… knock… _

The knocks started to falter, as though the person was giving up. Nuh-uh, no one who interrupted Chloé’s beauty sleep got away with it. She increased her pace to reach the door sooner, flinging it open with the most judgmental expression she could muster at this time of night.

Kagami stood there, eyes rimmed red, still wearing the outfit from the gala. Chloé’s face softened immediately, but Kagami took a step back as though ready to run away. Kagami started to turn, but Chloé grabbed her arm. “Wait.”

Kagami froze, meeting Chloé’s eyes for a moment before going downcast. Chloé glanced around, looking for an employee, but there was no one. She pulled Kagami into her suite before letting go of her, unsure of what the protocol for this was.

What would Adrien do? He’d probably do something nice. What was nice? Could Chloé hug her? Were they at that level? They did a lot of physical stuff for the pretend relationship, but whatever was going on here was clearly real, she wasn’t sure if those same boundaries applied. Oh no, Chloé was standing there without speaking for way too long. She had to say  _ something _ .   
“So, um, what’s up?”

Kagami’s eyes flickered up at the question. Her mouth opened, then closed. Then opened again, making no sound. Like a fish choking out of water.

Chloé berated herself internally.  _ Come on, ‘What’s up’? Could you think of anything more ridiculous to say in this situation? _

Kagami’s hand stretched out, as though reaching to touch Chloé, before freezing mid-air. Then, slowly, she lowered it. Chloé snatched it out of the air, holding her hand with her own. Did Kagami want physical contact? Chloé was willing to do just about anything at this point to get Kagami to say something or at least look less like she would collapse into tears in two seconds.

Emboldened by Chloé’s reciprocation, Kagami hugged Chloé, burying her face in Chloé’s chest before sobbing. Chloé grimaced. Her bathrobe was going into the wash tomorrow. For now, though, Chloé slowly lowered her arms around Kagami, returning the hug as Kagami cried against her.

Still no explanation. Kagami kept crying. And crying. And crying…

Chloé knew she ought to be sturdy and comforting right now, but she was literally just woken up and tired as all hell. Slowly, Chloé moved Kagami and herself to the couch, slowly lowering them down to sit. Kagami curled up almost immediately, and Chloé ended up cradling her.

What did Chloé get herself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops some angst spilled into my rom-com plot.  
Also if you skipped the first scene, pretty much Kagami just tells her mom that she's dating Chloé, her mom cries, slaps Kagami, and kicks her out of the house.  
Also I hate ending chapters on an unhappy note, so I threw in the going-to-Chloé's scene to end on a slightly more comforting note... But also I'm gonna update the next chapter in the next one or two days because again, I hate things ending on unhappy notes for too long.


	8. Day After the Gala

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami didn’t have any idea what the appropriate thing to do in this situation was, so she got up and started walking towards the door. “Sorry, thanks for letting me stay, bye-”
> 
> “Don’t you dare walk away right now,” Chloé warned her.
> 
> Kagami stopped halfway to the door, still not turning around to face Chloé. What do you say to someone who you randomly cried on and slept on a couch with? She wondered if this is what it felt like to hook up with someone, trying to sneak out in the morning while chased by post-intimate embarrassment.

Kagami woke up feeling stiff and dehydrated. She clutched at some fabric, burrowing closer to whatever warmth she was connected with. The dawning unfamiliarity with the shape made her eyes flutter open. Her hand was against something soft, white, though there was a sliver of pale flesh…

Her head tilted up, and she identified Chloé Bourgeois. The events of last night filtered through her head like the delayed recollection of a bad movie. She lost half the details. How had she even found her way here? Why had she chosen to go to Chloé Bourgeois instead of, say, Marinette?

_ Chloé said if she needed somewhere to crash… _

She had really meant to just ask Chloé where she should sleep. What room was available. But her throat had been stuck, choked by Mother’s suffering. Kagami was belatedly embarrassed at how out of it she had been last night. Internally, she berated herself for getting caught up in the trauma.

Somehow, Chloé hadn’t just kicked her out for her weird behavior. Kagami’s eyes ran over Chloé’s face. Her lashes looked smaller, and skin more mottled. No makeup? Her hair was also down, making her impression much gentler than her usual bitchy persona. Kagami’s gaze slid down, noting the exposed collarbone, since Chloé was wearing a fluffy white bathrobe…

Wait.

Kagami’s eyes opened fully to take in the sight. Was Chloé  _ only  _ wearing a bathrobe?

Technically she couldn’t know for sure, but the thought had made a home in her head and left her holding her breath. Slowly, Kagami tried to push herself away, extricating herself from the situation-

Oh there was an arm around her. At Kagami’s movement, Chloé stirred, tightening her hold around Kagami and releasing a sleepy hum. Kagami pushed again, harder this time, eliciting a grumble from Chloé. Once Kagami had mostly moved away, retreating to the other end of the couch, Chloé’s eyes slowly opened.

The soft blue stared at Kagami with little reaction. After a moment, the lids lifted further and Chloé blinked away some sleepiness. There were strands of blonde hair over her face, and although Kagami thought about brushing them back she resisted the impulse.

Kagami didn’t have any idea what the appropriate thing to do in this situation was, so she got up and started walking towards the door. “Sorry, thanks for letting me stay, bye-”

“Don’t you  _ dare _ walk away right now,” Chloé warned her.

Kagami stopped halfway to the door, still not turning around to face Chloé. What do you say to someone who you randomly cried on and slept on a couch with? She wondered if this is what it felt like to hook up with someone, trying to sneak out in the morning while chased by post-intimate embarrassment.

“What the hell happened?”

With a sigh, Kagami returned to the couch and perched on the furthest end of the couch. “You said if anything happened, I could crash here, right?”

Chloé narrowed her eyes. “Yes… but what happened?”

“My mom sort of, uh, kicked me out.”

Chloé’s eyebrows jumped up. “…’Sort of’?”

“Or just straight-up kicked me out, I guess.”

“Because of…?” Chloé alternated pointing between herself and Kagami.

Kagami nodded.

A low whistle escaped Chloé. “People actually do that?”

“My mom does.”

“That’s fucking insane. Just ‘cause you like- are pretending to date a girl?”

“She was pretty amped up from my whole ‘skipping-the-marriage-interview’ thing in the first place. Our ‘relationship’ was a breaking point, probably,” Excuses for Mother tumbled easily from Kagami.

“Well fuck her,” Chloé huffed, “She sounds like the worst.”

“She’s not the  _ worst _ ,” Kagami defended.

Chloé rolled her eyes at that, but did not belabor the point. “Well like I said, you’re free to stay here as long as you need.”

Kagami looked around, noting the pink theme and rich carpets and Chloé still only wearing the bathrobe. “Like…  _ here _ here?”

Chloé’s cheeks grew red at the implication. “N-no, of course not, like in the hotel. I’ll arrange a suite for you.”

“Oh.” Kagami breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

* * *

The Grand Paris Hotel suites were  _ fancy _ . There was proper bedroom, a bathroom with both a spacious bathtub and a shower, a living space with couches, a desk, a television, and even a small kitchen attached.

“…And you can see the numbers for room service or any other needs on this card. Got it?”

Kagami bowed. “Yes. Thank you for your hospitality.”

Chloé snorted. “No need to be so formal.”

“Still… thank you.”

“I also went ahead and had some employees fill the closets with a couple of simple outfits. I didn’t know your exact sizes, but it should be close enough to wear out while you shop for new clothes.”

Kagami looked down at herself. She had shuffled off the blazer, but she was still in the black dress from last night. “I’m sure it will be fine, I don’t think I’ll be here too long.”

Chloé narrowed her eyes. “You can stay here as long as you’d like.”

“Until Mother forgives me.”

Chloé’s shoulders tensed at the comment, though Kagami didn’t understand why. “Whatever. It’s your life.”

Chloé left. Kagami gave sigh, and gingerly sat on the couch.

She tried to imagine living here for a long time, but she couldn’t. She still had her room in her house, with her desk full of her things, a cork-board where she hung up her schedule and some pictures with friends (Primarily Adrien and Marinette, but a few other people too). Her bedsheets were red, not the deep magenta of the Bourgeois hotel. There were pretentious paintings hung up in the hotel room, while her room had posters of herself and her mother at competitions.

It was hard to imagine turning this space into the same comforting room. The size was intimidating; even if she was able to bring all her stuff from home she wouldn’t be able to fill up the suite. She felt like a small fish in a big pond. She slotted nicely into the small spaces she was given, she didn’t expand into big places like this.

She searched the wardrobe. The first thing she noticed was that there was a lot of white clothing. Was that a deliberate act of Chloé’s part? Or was it coincidence? Most of the clothing seemed pretty plain, though fantastic quality, as though trying not to offend the recipient. Kagami’s insides twisted even more at that. This wasn’t her fashion. She thought about her closet back home, close to bursting with fun fabrics and bold choices. She knew some people thought she dressed a bit kooky, but Mother didn’t notice and didn’t care. So long as she dressed within the lines enough that nobody would comment on the strange fashion to her mother, Kagami was free to wear whatever she wanted.

Now she put on possibly the most basic outfit imaginable: A white blouse and dark blue jeans. She kept on the bracelet Chloé had given her, since it was the only remotely interesting accessory she had available to her.

She wished she had her ties. She liked to collect them and find the weirdest ones possible. One of her proudest finds was a disgusting tie that not only had a fish on it, but was shaped like a fish at the bottom. It was hideous, and she would never wear it in public in a million years, but as soon as she had seen it buried in the back of a display at a store, she knew she had to have it. She had a rack in her closet where all her favorite ties hung, including the fish one, and a small drawer with even more.

There were no ties here.

She sighed and flopped onto the bed. She was (blandly) dressed with nowhere to go. All that was left to do was to think about her mistakes.

Specifically when it came to Mother.

Nope. Kagami sat up and pulled out her phone. No texts or calls from Mother (thank goodness). She scrolled to her short contact list to find Marinette.

_ Are you busy today? _

No response. Not yet. Kagami played a silly game on the phone, trying to keep her mind engaged and away from thoughts like _Holy shit I got kicked out of my house Mother is furious and disappointed-_

Marinette texted back,  _ Sorry, yeah, pretty busy fixing up mistakes an intern made on one of my pieces _ .

Kagami sighed.

Marinette texted again,  _ Is there an emergency or anything? I could probably find some time. _

With a grimace, Kagami responded,  _ No, nothing urgent. Good luck with work. _

_ Thanks! _

Kagami got up. She couldn’t stay in the hotel room, with nothing to entertain herself other than her thoughts. She might as well do what Chloé suggested and go shopping. She’d just buy a few things, enough to last her the week in combination with the stuff in the closet. Then, once Mother forgave her and she went home, she could just add them to her broader wardrobe.

Because Mother would surely forgive her, right?

* * *

Kagami missed her old sleeping shirt, a big shirt she had gotten at a fencing camp in middle school that still fit her. It was a hideous design (it’s hard to fit a smiling face on a fencing foil, though those designers sure did their best), but well-worn and soft. She had bought a few nice outfits while out today, but she couldn’t buy a shirt with that kind of history. So instead she wore a loose, new, white t-shirt in the hotel closet. Along with a pair of black athletic shorts.

She curled up under the covers and tried to sleep.

Unfortunately, without distraction, her head kept returning to last night. Her mother’s words, the betrayal in her face…

Kagami turned over, trying not to focus on those pained expressions. What about Kagami’s hurt? Mother literally kicked her out for being gay.  _ And lying to her _ , her brain helpfully supplied. But even Chloé, queen bitch, had thought her mother’s reaction was absurd. That had to mean something, right? That Kagami wasn’t crazy for hoping her mother would love her despite being gay?

Not that Kagami was gay.

But  _ if she was _ , her mother had to accept her. Kagami knew when she got into this mess that it  _ would _ be messy, but it felt worth it at the time. This was an impetus for change, if Kagami could get her mother to accept her sexuality, maybe she could get her to accept Kagami having a bit more freedom in general.

It hurt a lot right now, though. Kagami could feel her breathing quicken as she pondered whether Mother would never forgive her. She hadn’t tried to contact her at all today, what if she never talked to her again? Was Kagami supposed to contact her?

The familiar buzzing feeling throughout her body was familiar, but still uncomfortable. She sometimes would feel it the night before a competition, when worries and pressures would pile up on her until she felt suffocated.

When that would happen, she would usually go find Mother.

Mother was so kind during those times, whispering comforts to Kagami, reassuring her every concern, and letting Kagami hold onto her like she was the only thing anchoring her to Earth. Maybe it was weird, but there had been some terrible nights Kagami had ended up sharing the bed with her mother, so her mother could keep her grounded and she could sleep through the night.

Kagami was flat on her back now, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling. There was no one now. Just herself, body rigid and tingling.

_ And Chloé _ .

Kagami shook her head. Chloé was technically in the hotel, but she had already annoyed Chloé once, she wasn’t about to do it again the next day. She had seen far too much of Kagami’s weakness already.

So Kagami just lied there, breath erratic, staring at the ceiling, the whole night.


	9. Still Gotta Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...it would be terribly irresponsible to skip work just because she got kicked out of her house and had trouble sleeping.

Unfortunately, Kagami had work the next day.

She had eventually fallen into a restless sleep, around 3 A.M., so it wasn’t like she had no sleep at all. And it would be terribly irresponsible to skip work just because she got kicked out of her house and had trouble sleeping. So she called up the room service for coffee and breakfast. She wasn’t in such a bad state anymore, she had thoroughly exhausted herself of nervousness.

A look in the mirror revealed dark circles under her eyes, but it’s not like she had her concealer with her. It was buried in a drawer back home, in her room. She supposed Chloé might have some she could borrow, but it probably wouldn’t be the right tone.

So with a sigh, she made her way to work.

Going to the fencing school calmed her a bit. This was familiar and safe. She left her fencing outfit in a locker, so she was able to get changed into her familiar red suit. Things felt a little more normal. As children came by and started stretching and chatting, their complete indifference to Kagami’s personal life was a comfort. They were the same as always, focused on their schoolwork and social life, completely normal.

Kagami wished she were able to be a bit more friendly with them, when she searched ‘how to coach’ on the internet, back when she first got her knee injury and it seemed like a probable option, a lot of sites recommended fostering a personal connection with the children. Unfortunately, Kagami’s few attempts were stilted and failed to elicit more than hesitant responses and judgmental looks from the kids. Not to mention all the slang they used… Kagami could barely keep up with the slang of her own generation, much less the next one.

So she gave up on that and fostered a more serious persona. Maybe they wouldn’t be best friends, but she would do her best to be the kind of coach they could rely on to make them into the best fencers they could be. No-nonense, with high expectations.

As soon as the hour struck, she lined them up, and started warm-ups.

* * *

Although Kagami was tired, the practice did wonders for her brain. She felt much less foggy, having been completely distracted. It was hard to think about the mess of her life when she was fixing so much sloppy footwork. She was intimately familiar with the details of how to fence, even though she wasn’t allowed to compete this year, so it was easy but engaging work. She wasn’t even allowed to practice too much, since her knee was still technically recovering from the surgery. The occasional example lunge wasn’t too stressful, but her doctor had emphasized that she could not strain the knee too much, or she would risk never being able to fence again.

Compared to never fencing again, a year off where she coached some kids seemed preferable. Of course the most preferable option was Kagami never getting injured, winning the competition, and then being able to compete again this year. As her mother reminded her rather frequently.

She restrained herself from groaning out loud at the thought. Less than a few minutes post-coaching and she was already thinking about Mother again. Once she completely removed her fencing gear, she made a promise to herself to not think about Mother the whole way back to the hotel.

She would think about the kids. Manon was getting better at her lunging form, but she seemed to struggle with keeping her tip on target. Maybe they could do some targeting drills next time. Eustache had improved a lot, she ought to praise him next time. She kept her mind there as she walked to the door. Prue was going to compete in a few weeks, she had to make sure to keep a close eye on her. She had done good work today, but she tended to overwork herself around competitions, so she should remind her that rest is an important-

Mother was sitting outside the building.

There was a bench, to the left of the doors, where her mother sat primly with her cane, scowl on her face. Kagami froze at the sight. Was her mother waiting for her? Of course she knew Kagami’s schedule. Was Kagami ready to talk to her? No.

Kagami continued walking, hoping Mother wouldn’t notice, but it was unsuccessful. “Kagami.”

Kagami froze. Her mother knew her steps too well to let her get away. She steeled herself before turning to face Mother. “Yes?”

“When are you coming home?”

“Have you forgiven me?”

“No.”

Kagami took in a deep breath. “I wouldn’t want to be disrespectful by making you suffer in my presence.”

“That immaturity is why you’re still a child,” Mother told her with a sharp tone.

Kagami clenched her jaw, trying not to jump to defend herself, _ I’m an adult, I should be allowed to make my own choices _. That was the kind of thing foolish children said.

Mother carried on, “Why didn’t you call?”

“I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“Do you expect me to forgive you when you don’t make any efforts to beg me for forgiveness? Or to make right what you did wrong?”

“You kicked me out.”

“Not forever.”

“Then when can I come back?”

“A good start would be to break up with that girl.”

Kagami had to keep at least one hard line. Otherwise, this would be the same as all their other fights where Kagami changed everything about herself while Mother stayed the same. This time, she was not going to surrender until Mother changed her mind about at least one thing. “Anything but that.”

“Don’t be foolish, Kagami.”

“I love her,” Kagami lied.

“I can hear the hesitation in your voice.”

Kagami hated that she was right. This was technically pretend. But even if it was pretend, she wanted Mother to respect it, to respect _ her _. “I’m not breaking up with Chloé.”

Her mother reached out her hand. Searching for Kagami’s cheek.

Kagami turned away. “I’m going. Goodbye.”

Mother called out her name, but Kagami walked quickly, refusing to look back.

* * *

That night was worse.

Kagami felt like she was dying. She _ knew _ she wasn’t, Mother told her that many times enough. She had felt like this the night before last year’s competition, but back then Mother had held her and told her that she was fine, nothing was wrong, and that she was going to win.

She couldn’t go to Mother now.

…Or could she?

Maybe if Kagami gave everything up and surrendered, Mother would let her back home, and she could curl up with her and everything would be okay again. Who cared if Kagami was back in the same binds, completely restricted again? At least she wouldn’t feel like this, like nothing was real and her heart was fluttering at a rate far too fast to be healthy.

She couldn’t do this. She _ needed _ Mother, she couldn’t survive without her, her body’s reaction had to be her guilt talking. If she was guilty, she had to have been in the wrong. It was all a mistake, she needed to beg for forgiveness. How could she give up her mother so easily? There was no one else in the world who would love her like Mother did. Who else would hold her at night and comfort her the way she craved?

Kagami pulled herself out of the bed and reached for her nightstand where her phone was charging. She would call Mother, and make everything okay again…

A text from Chloé stood out in her notifications. _ Hey, did those clothes work for you? If not, I’ll tell my employees to get more. Just say the word. _

Kagami drew in a shuddering breath. _ Chloé _. Kagami forgot she wasn’t completely alone.

She put on some slippers, dropping her phone back on the nightstand. Chloé had let her sleep with her on Saturday night, would she allow it again? Kagami could only pray. She made her way to Chloé’s room like she was dreaming, weightless and unfeeling. The sound of her fist knocking on the door felt like it was echoing from a mile away.

Chloé opened the door, again in the bathrobe and hair down. Kagami couldn’t register her words, so Kagami tried to force out some words of her own this time, “Can I sleep with you?”

Chloé’s face was absolutely flabbergasted. Of course it was too much. Kagami’s stomach dropped, obvious it was too much, she should have just called Mother, no sense worrying Chloé about it.

She turned away, mumbling some sort of apology, when Chloé grabbed her wrist. “Wait, what kind of sleep?”

Kagami didn’t understand the confusion. “Like sleeping?”

Chloé pulled Kagami into the room and closed the door. “Are you like… okay?”

Kagami gulped. She held onto Chloé’s hand, since Chloé seemed okay with that. “No.”

Warmth surrounded her, and Kagami realized she was being hugged. She collapsed into Chloé’s arms, which made Chloé a stumble a moment. “W-wait, let’s get you to bed first.”

Kagami followed Chloé into the bedroom, and fell onto the bed. Chloé joined, lying stiffly beside her. Too desperate for contact to care about the consequences, Kagami wrapped her arms around Chloé and buried herself against Chloé’s neck. She was warm and grounding, chasing away Kagami’s cold unfeeling terror. Chloé hesitantly brought an arm over Kagami’s back, and Kagami squeezed tighter as if to beg for more.

Her breath evened as relief flowed through her veins. She almost called Mother. She almost gave up and surrendered, just because she panicked. She was so glad Chloé existed, that she was so close, and that she was letting Kagami be absolutely weirdly touchy when they weren’t even that close. Chloé even smelled nice, whatever shampoo she used was something tropical and sweet. Kagami breathed in deep, focusing on that scent. The softness of the bathrobe, and softness where their bare skin touched.

Warm, safe, and comforted, it wasn’t long before Kagami fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kagami: I'm having a panic attack  
Chloé: Is this a booty call??


	10. Spread the News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami fixed a serious expression on her face. Her heart was still pounding from running, but she wasn’t about to show some kids she was nervous about anything.
> 
> Eustache was the first to speak. “Ms. Tsurugi, you have a girlfriend?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I will update this once a week.  
Also me: But I have chapters written and want to release them NOW

Chloé woke up way warmer than she was used to.

One glance down told her everything she needed to know.

She slept with Kagami. Not  _ slept _ slept, obviously. She felt a bit perverted for being confused about which type of sleep Kagami meant last night. After all, she should have known it wouldn’t be the sexual nature. That wasn’t really what their relationship was.

Chloé watched Kagami breath slow and easy, a palm across Chloé’s chest to rest on her far shoulder. It tickled Chloé’s neck, and Chloé had to hold back from squirming at the warm air. At least Kagami looked calm and rested. Last night she had seemed like a broken automaton, dark circles beneath her eyes and lacking any facial expression. The only thing s that revealed her anxiety were her tears and her desperate physical clinging, like touch was the only salve to some full-body burn.

Chloé looked down on herself, and decided that from now on, she would be wearing clothes to bed. Sleeping naked felt great, but not so great when a friend kept deciding to have a sleepover. As comfy as Chloé’s bathrobe to answer the door was, she didn’t love sleeping in it. And if Kagami came again, Chloé wanted to be able to cuddle her without being worried about where her hand might slip.

She wasn’t certain Kagami would come again, but she certainly wasn’t opposed to the idea. As… strange as the situation was, having someone next to her to sleep was surprisingly nice. Chloé had always been tactile with her few friends, not afraid of hugging Sabrina or physically pushing Alya here or there. When it came to sex, her favorite part was afterwards, if the guy stayed afterwards, and they could cuddle the whole night.

She had never considered that one could skip the whole sex thing and just go directly to cuddling.

And Kagami was surprisingly clingy. Chloé felt that same strange sense of success rising in her chest, just like the evening of the gala when Kagami hung off of her. That special sensation of having tamed an impossible opponent.

Chloé reached for her phone and sent a quick text to her assistant, saying she might be late into her office this morning. With that taken care of, she pulled Kagami a little closer and closed her eyes again, willing to milk this cuddle session for all it was worth.

* * *

When she woke up again, it was because Kagami was stirring.

Chloé watched closely, capturing every expression Kagami made. At first Kagami was simply sleepy, giving a little yawn and stretching. Then her eyes slowly opened, blinking quickly with confusion. Then the eyes widened, and she got up-

Trying to run, just like last time. Chloé grabbed her and pulled her back down. “You don’t have to run away immediately.”

Kagami relaxed into Chloé, leaving Chloé’s stomach doing flips. She did that; just a quick tug and a command  made Kagami soft and pliant again in her arms. “Sorry.”

“What happened last night?”

Kagami’s throat was touching Chloé’s shoulder, so she could feel Kagami gulp. “I just, uh, felt bad.”

“Like sick?”

“Like… I don’t know, just very nervous.”

Whatever happened last night seemed more than just a case of nervousness, but Chloé didn’t comment. “And this helped?”

Kagami nodded, chin bopping Chloé’s shoulder. “Normally when it happens, I go to my mother and she comforts me, but she was sort of the source this time.”

Chloé’s hold tightened on Kagami, and Kagami jumped. Chloé forced herself to loosen the grip, so she wouldn’t suffocate her. She wasn’t sure what exactly was going on between Kagami and her mom, but someone who kicked her daughter out of the house for being gay seemed like a bad person.

“So I thought about calling her, but then when I picked up the phone I saw that text from you, and so… I’m sorry, I was really out of it, but on Saturday, you helped me, so I thought maybe once again…”

“Come over whenever you want,” Chloé decided, “This bed is certainly big enough.”

Kagami didn’t have a response to that.

Chloé got up. “I should probably get to work.”

Kagami shot up. “Wait, what time is it?”

When Kagami saw the clock, she ran out of the room, quick even strides back to her room to get changed before work.

Chloé barely had a chance to blink before Kagami was gone, transformed back into the high-efficiency-machine she was familiar with. Chloé’s hand ran over the side of the bed Kagami had been. It was still warm.

* * *

Kagami rushed through changing into her fencing gear for work. She only had a minute until class officially started. She sprinted into the main room, trying not to leave a bad impression on the kids.

All of them were staring at her.

They were also all surrounding a phone. When Kagami opened the door, their heads had popped up from looking at it to stare at Kagami. Kagami fixed a serious expression on her face. Her heart was still pounding from running, but she wasn’t about to show some kids she was nervous about anything.

Eustache was the first to speak. “Ms. Tsurugi, you have a girlfriend?”

Kagami had to suppress a gasp. Since when were these kids interested in her personal life? “Yes?”

A few kids squealed.

Kagami tried to scowl a bit, since it was now the official starting time for class, and this gossip was a distraction from work-

“She’s pretty!” Manon exclaimed, grabbing the phone they were looking at. They must have found out on some gossip site.

“Y-yes,” Kagami felt her resolve weakening, “Not that it’s any of your business-”

“How did you two meet?” One of the kids asked.

“We had some mutual friends, now we really should-”

“What’s having a girlfriend like?”

Kagami’s mind flashed back to this morning, waking up to warmth, comfort, and sunlight wrapped up in her arms. “It’s nice, but now it’s time for-”

“Who asked who out first?”

“Guys,” Kagami put on her serious-teacher voice, “It’s class time.”

The kids pouted, but they put the phone away and lined up. Kagami let out a relieved breath. It felt strange for her kids to be aware of her dating.

It almost felt like it was real of something.

* * *

Mother was still waiting outside.

Kagami trembled, but walked past her. This time, Mother did not call out to her.

Instead of calling for a car, Kagami decided to keep walking. She didn’t want to go back to the hotel, where she would lie in her bed and stare up at the ceiling, running over the three seconds she looked at her Mother while leaving the school and panicking about it. She needed to do anything else to keep her head occupied.

Her walking speed was fast, and people easily split to allow her through. After she got a few blocks away from the school, she slowed down marginally so she could start looking at the stores around her. She carried on until she spotted a cramped thrift shop.

She entered. There was no one at the counter, though there was a heavy-looking gray cat. She gave the cat a friendly wave, but it stared at her with an unamused expression. She didn’t dare pet it, and instead squeezed through the racks of clothing and odd items. Her hands went through some of the racks, looking for clothing. She should probably get some more, right? In case this fight with her mother lasted longer than expected.

After looking through for a few minutes, it became apparent that none of the clothes here interested Kagami. Maybe Kagami wasn’t in the right mood to see the possibilities, but fluffy purple vests just weren’t feeling right today. She was about to leave when a corner with a set of drawers caught her eye. Kagami marched right up to a drawer and pulled it open.

Jackpot.

* * *

“What’s the press saying about me?” Chloé asked one of the interns, Drefan.

He snorted as he pulled up some articles on his computer. “A decent amount.”

Chloé rolled her eyes. “I want to know  _what_ , not how much.”

“Patience, patience.” He tabbed through a couple articles. “Well the slightly higher-brow news sites are mostly praise, calling you an ‘inspirational LGBT+ figure.’ The articles go a little into you, but also talk a lot about how people in positions of power often aren’t LGBT or aren’t out about it, and how you might be a figure who helps change that.”

Chloé blinked. The thought of becoming some sort of figure or role model for that community hadn’t actually occurred to her.

“Of course there’s Pageturners Weekly, which is accusing you of hopping onto the bandwagon of sexual identity politics to gain popularity. They seem to be trying to build a case that since you dated men in the past, your girlfriend is just a friend pretending to date you.”

Chloé had to frown at that. They weren’t right on the reasoning, but she would have to be cautious that they didn’t get more material to support the fact that the relationship was fake. At least Pageturners Weekly wasn’t exactly a great publication; it was popular among fanatics, but most people saw it as paranoid  conspiracies .

“Some of the gossip rags are having a field day with these photos…” Drefan gave a laugh as he opened up another tab. “You couldn’t go a whole gala without putting your hands on your girlfriend?”

Leaning in to take a closer look, Chloé was thrilled with how the pictures turned out. Just like she anticipated, the photographers found the right angles to imply everything she needed. She had Kagami pinned to a wall, and it seemed like there was no way they weren’t kissing. Chloé almost second-guessed her own memories about it.

She reached out across Drefan to scroll down a bit on the article, and saw even more photographs of that night. She almost jumped in place when she passed one where Kagami was picking her up. The expression on Chloé’s face while being held by Kagami was just the right amount of embarrassed, red, and sincere. She quickly continued scrolling so she wouldn’t blush at the memory, but it just led to a picture of Kagami looming over her on the table.

Chloé pulled back and averted her eyes from the screen. “Good. They ought to talk about me.”

Released from the duty, Drefan clicked onto another tab. “I’ll be sure to warn you if they go longer than a month without bringing you up.”

“That’s only happened  _once_ ,” Chloé told him, “It was an uneventful September.”

He chuckled. Chloé started to walk away, but he called out, “Miss Bourgeois?”

She paused and turned back to him.

His expression seemed a bit shyer than usual. Which was strange, since he usually gave as much shit as he got. And he got a lot of shit from Chloé. “Is… It is real, right? You’re not obligated to tell us employees, but obviously-”

“Obviously it’s real,” Chloé told him with all the confidence she could muster, which was astronomical levels, “I’ m not making an announce ment , but feel free to spread the word.”

His face lit up. “So like, are you gay?”

Chloé balked at that for a moment. No one had asked her explicitly before. Did she want to be known as gay? She could also go as bisexual, but… Something about gay seemed to fit nicer in her head. “Yes.”

He seemed thrilled, but he also stopped talking, so Chloé continued on her way. She  was strutting through the hotel lobby on the way back to her office when a familiar figure entered the hotel.

“Kagami?” Chloé’s eyes glanced down and caught sight of a bag. “Did you go shopping?”

Kagami seemed surprised by Chloé’s attention. “Uh, yes.”

Chloé came over and squealed. “What did you get? Anything exciting?”

Chloé prided herself on being an expert shopper. Shopping was a passion, and although Kagami and her didn’t have a ton of things in common, maybe they could bond over this.

Kagami bit her lip. “…Exciting to me. Might not be to you.”

Chloé rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. What did you get? I’m dying of curiosity over here.”

Kagami glanced around, then grabbed Chloé’s hand. “I shouldn’t show them out here.”

Chloé’s heart started pumping. What could it be? Something private? Did she buy something embarrassing? Kagami didn’t say a word as they got onto the elevator. It couldn’t even be discussed? Was it something deviant? Inappropriate? Chloé’s mind raced. Was it… lingerie? Or maybe even some sort of sex toy? But would Kagami show Chloé that if it was the case? Wouldn’t it be more normal to just say ‘it’s private’ and leave?

Then again, Kagami wasn’t very normal.

Oh no it could totally be a sex toy. Chloé wasn’t prepared for this. She was trying to not think about Kagami and sex in the same thought. Not that she needed to resist anything, but she would rather  _not_ think about it. Completely normal. Most people don’t want to think about sex with their friends.

The elevator pinged at the floor for Kagami’s room. There was no polite way for Chloé to back out now. Kagami walked to her room, clutching the bag close to herself, as though protecting it from prying eyes.

This had to be a sex toy. Or at least some lingerie. Chloé was so screwed. Chloé screwed her eyes shut. She needed to stop thinking the word ‘screw.’ She followed Kagami,  since  she had pushed Kagami to share she might as well submit to her fate  and accept whatever shameful purchase she was about to be exposed to.

Once the door was securely closed (and locked, Kagami made sure) Kagami took a deep breath and pulled out the first item.  Chloé stared.

“Is that…” She furrowed her brow. “…A tie? With… some sort of anime characters on it?”

“I don’t even know what anime this is from,” Kagami’s voice was quiet but quick, a rushed confession, “But I saw those sparkly eyes and knew I had to have it. The clashing colors, the distortion of proportions… I couldn’t resist.”

Chloé didn’t know what to say. Kagami’s eyes were sparkling quite a bit right now.

“Wait, there’s more.” Kagami gently placed that tie onto the couch, as though it were some prized treasure, before pulling another tie out.

Chloé put a hand over her own mouth. “Wh- what animal is that?  Squirrel? Or… rabbit? ”

“It’s a chinchilla,” Kagami responded with a dreamy sigh.

She put that tie away and pulled out the final one.

Chloé gaped at it. There was a man, clearly some sort of American farmer with a hat and red flannel, and a dog in the background. Behind the dog were birch trees and a house. But this was not just printed on the tie, no, it was painstakingly embroidered onto the tie, clearly done with a great deal of effort and a great lack of skill. The face of the person was like looking into a horror movie, and without any other clues Chloé would have been unable to guess the freaky brown blob was a dog.

A fond smile graced Kagami’s face. “Isn’t it hideous?”

“Kagami I’m certain that’s cursed.”

Kagami ran her fingers over the threads, worship dripping from her expression. “I’m in love.”

Chloé gulped at Kagami’s expression in combination with those words. Chloé wondered how it would feel to be in the place of the tie. Chloé might die in the spot at such an ardent expression of love.

She shook her head slightly, trying to shake herself out of the thought. She focused back on the normal(?) situation at hand. “It’s going to haunt you.”   
“I hope so.” Kagami didn’t even look away, staring into its eyes.

“How can you bear to make eye contact? The eyes aren’t even facing the same direction.”

“It’s looking at you too.”

Chloé brought up a hand to cover herself. “It better not be.”

Kagami laughed and put the tie down, focusing back on Chloé. Her face looked better than it had in days. Chloé was relieved that however strange this hobby was, it seemed to have healed Kagami a bit. Kagami was now laughing and joking like she was real, containing emotion and feelings. And this wasn’t some sort of faked relationship expression of love or weird panicked comfort-seeking in the middle of the night. It was just Kagami, being herself.

Chloé almost flushed at the intimacy. How many people knew about this weird obsession? Was it an obsession? Did Kagami just develop this? Does she have a secret lair full of ties? “So, uh, I’ve never seen you wear such… colorful ties before. Is this some sort of…” Chloé grimaced at the thought, “Some sort of new fashion you’re going to start wearing?”

Kagami laughed again, and Chloé wanted to make a million jokes to hear it again. “Don’t be silly. I love them, sure, but even I have an ounce of fashion sense. I just like to have them.”

Chloé nodded, relieved that Kagami wasn’t about to start wearing them in public.

Kagami started to stiffen again. “…Sorry to distract you, you must be busy with work-”

“No!” Chloé rushed to correct, “I mean, this is a good break. It’s… they’re very entertaining.”

Kagami gave a soft smile. “…Yeah.”

* * *

That night, Chloé was disappointed when Kagami didn’t text or anything. She curled up in bed (this time wearing pajamas, just in case), and tried to sleep.

An hour later, there was a knock. She opened the door, and Kagami stood, haunted look back in her eyes. Wordlessly, Chloé brought her in and to the bed. This time Kagami had a phone with her, so she put that on the nightstand. Still not speaking, the two of them returned to the bed. Just like before, as soon as Chloé laid down, Kagami’s limbs reached out to wrap around her. Chloé happily enveloped her, more than willing to take advantage of whatever weird mental stuff was going on with Kagami if it meant Chloé could be cuddled every night.

In the morning, Chloé gave her a key to her room, and told her next time to just come join her and not to bother knocking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That tie with the farmer and dog on it is based on an actual tie a friend and I found at a thrift store once. Unfortunately we didn't buy it, but its memory still haunts me.


	11. Catch-up with Marinette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “It’s been… an eventful few days,” Kagami started.
> 
> “Yeah, I saw with the news; the public seems to buy the relationship. I’m glad it’s working, but it’s not too stressful is it? How did your mother react?” Marinette sipped at her tea.
> 
> “Not great. She kicked me out.”
> 
> Marinette spit out her tea.

As Marinette prepared tea, Kagami sat in her usual chair. Marinette was chattering about how the latest show went. Now that it was over, she was much more relaxed, happily bouncing around her kitchen, practically spinning while carrying the warm mugs to the coffee table. Kagami almost got up as some water splashed threateningly, but nothing fully spilled. Once the mugs were on the table, Marinette hopped onto the couch and curled her feet up. As she pulled the mug to her face, she spoke, “…But enough about me, I’ve been prattling on, how have you been?”

“It’s been… an eventful few days,” Kagami started.

“Yeah, I saw with the news; the public seems to buy the relationship. I’m glad it’s working, but it’s not too stressful is it? How did your mother react?” Marinette sipped at her tea.

“Not great. She kicked me out.”

Marinette spit out her tea.

By now used t o Marinette’s reactions , Kagami got up to get the paper towels to clean. “This is why I think you should wait to let the tea steep.”

“Maybe you should stop dropping catastrophic news while I’m drinking!”

As they mopped up the mess, Kagami mumbled, “It’s not  _ catastrophic… _ ”

“When did this happen? Why didn’t you mention? Do you have anywhere to live?” Marinette started pacing.

“It was the night of the gala. But don’t worry, Chloé’s letting me stay with her for now.”

“We texted, was that what you wanted to talk to me about? Why didn’t you?”

“You seemed busy, and it’s not like it was an emergency…”

“It  _ is _ an emergency,” Marinette insisted, “No matter how stressed I seem, when you literally get  _ kicked out of your house _ you talk to me, okay?”

Kagami shrinked back at the attention. “Okay? I’ll keep that in mind next time.”

Marinette grabbed Kagami’s hand. “I care about you Kagami. I want to be there when you’re going through stuff. Please reach out to me, no matter whether you think you deserve it or not, I would rather you tell me and let me worry for you than keep me in the dark.”

Kagami felt embarrassed by the frank kindness Marinette expressed, but she squeezed Marinette’s hand back. “O-okay.”

“Good.” Marinette let go. “Now tell me, how are you feeling about it?”

Kagami’s voice got quiet. “Honestly, I’d rather not talk about it.”

Marinette’s brows furrowed, but she settled back on the couch and tried to drink some of her tea again. “Then how are you feeling about Chloé?”

Kagami perked up at that. “Chloé’s great. She’s been so kind.”

“Chloé? Kind?” Marinette raised an eyebrow.

“Like I said, she’s letting me stay at the hotel, and it was a lot of fun hanging out with her at the gala.”  _ And she’s great to cuddle. _

“I wouldn’t be able to stomach that much time with Chloé.” Marinette pantomimed gagging. “But different strokes for different folks, I guess.”

Kagami giggled at Marinette’s exaggerated disgust. There was history between them, but if Marinette had spent time with Chloé the same way Kagami had, Kagami was certain Marinette’s mind would change.

After all, Kagami was getting pretty fond of Chloé.

* * *

Once Kagami left Marinette’s place, she decided to wander for a bit rather than going straight to the hotel. It was a warm, sunny day, so when she saw the greenery of the local park, she decided to make a stop.

She sat primly on a bench in the shade of a tall tree. She had a nice view of the pigeon man feeding the birds, as well as some kids running around playing tag. Three little girls and a boy, running and jumping on various structures for their game. Kagami watched idly, amused by the dramatic screams they released whenever someone got tagged.

Across the park, she saw a few adults chatting, though occasionally glancing back to the kids. The familial resemblance suggested they were the parents, catching up with each other while their kids sprinted their energy out. Her hypothesis was confirmed as the little boy tugged on the sleeve of a woman with the same red hair. She leaned down to hear his request. With a smile and a nod, she pulled a granola bar out of her bag, and he hungrily tore open the packaging. He scurried away, taking occasional bites out of his snack.

Kagami watched the exchange fondly, though with unfamiliarity. Her mother didn’t generally take her out to parks, and unlike that boy she hadn’t had friends to play tag with. Mother claimed it would be a distraction from Kagami learning.

Kagami wondered if she would be a mother some day. Her mother had complained that Kagami couldn’t have kids with Chloé… But that wasn’t impossible. After all, there was sperm donation, or adoption.

She could picture the two of them at this park, a child between them, holding both their hands and swinging back and forth. The thought brought a smile to her face. Chloé would probably be the kind of doting parent who spoils her child, so Kagami would have to make sure to set boundaries and prevent the child from being too spoiled. Though hopefully the two of them could have a conversation and agree to some rules, so the child doesn’t learn to just always go to Chloé for whatever they want-

The boy paused in his run, and Kagami startled out of her thoughts. Chloé and her weren’t going to have kids. She focused back on the kid, rather than wonder why her mind went off on such an impossible tangent.

It was strange, his friends were still running, but he was just standing there, hands at his throat. He seemed kind of panicked…?

_Oh._

Kagami stood up. Kid running around while eating, now frozen with fear and hands on his throat? All she could think of was choking. She had definitely learned how to perform the Heimlich maneuver before, but as she started to run to the child she wracked her brain for any information if anything different needs to be done for children.

Before Kagami got to the child, there was a man who kneeled behind him, bringing his fists in front by the stomach and pulling in a quick motion. The child, still wide-eyed, let out a horrific cough and a chunk of granola spewed out of his mouth, landing by Kagami’s feet.

The man, with a pointed chin and swept-back black hair, shifted to face the child. “Are you okay?” He asked with a gentle voice.

The child nodded mutely, still patting his throat, but fortunately clearly breathing. The mother by this point had noted the commotion, and reached the scene. She grabbed the child. “I told you not to run and eat at the same time!”

The child pouted. “I wasn’t running that much…”

She gave the child a quick hug. “I’m glad you didn’t choke. Can you thank the nice man who helped you?”

The kid turned shyly. “Thanks?”

The man smiled. “No problem at all, I couldn’t just stand by and watch that happen.”

Kagami started to slink away. She was unnecessary; they seemed to have it handled. There was something about the man that seemed familiar, though Kagami couldn’t place where she might have seen him before. Just before she turned away, the man’s eyes raised and caught hers. There was a moment of eye contact before Kagami broke it, making her way back towards the street.

* * *

In her room, Kagami stared at the key Chloé gave her. The fact that Chloé thought it necessary was embarrassing, but warranted. Kagami had been in bed for an hour, trying unsuccessfully to will away all the buzzing in her body.

With a sigh, she got out of bed, focusing on the carpeted floor to try and keep herself grounded long enough to get to Chloé’s room. She hesitated outside the door for a moment. It felt strange to unlock the door herself, like she belonged in there. Chloé was just being kind, Kagami forced herself to not think too deeply about what it could represent.

She slipped inside, trying to be quiet. It would be rude to wake Chloé up. She went down the familiar path to the bedroom, and slipped beside the lump beneath the blankets.  Chloé shifted slightly to accommodate Kagami, and Kagami nestled into the space with a relieved sigh.

* * *

“Why don’t you just come to my room in the first place?”

Kagami frowned. It was morning, and she had just turned off her alarm for work. “I should try to sleep on my own first. Practice. I don’t want to trouble you forever.”

“The bed is plenty big enough that it’s no trouble,” Chloé assured her, though she knew the bed size wasn’t the problem.

Kagami left, needing to dress in her own room before work.

Chloé lied back down with a sigh. It wasn’t like  _ Chloé  _ needed Kagami to sleep, though she was getting rather accustomed to her presence. Where the bed used to feel hot was now the new normal, and without Kagami the sheets seemed colder than they were meant to be. She wasn’t craving Kagami’s touch or anything, but it would be nice to know it was coming, and to not have to wonder every night if that would be the night Kagami would stop coming by.

Not that Chloé cared. She just liked cuddling, nothing special about Kagami specifically. Kagami was just an exceptional cuddler, and Chloé wanted to keep on cuddling her.


	12. How Do Lesbians Have Sex?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What a surprise!” Rose’s voice was energetic, absolutely welcoming, but also a bit surprised. “You never call me! Like, ever! What’s the occasion?”
> 
> “I have some, uh, questions about like… girls.”
> 
> Kagami glared at Chloé, trying to express how weirdly that was phrased.
> 
> Chloé coughed. “Like, liking girls.”

Saturday morning, Kagami sighed after waking up. She had given in again and slept in Chloé’s bed. She knew she had to get stronger and fight through the strange evening nervousness, but Chloé wasn’t exactly discouraging her presence.

Chloé stirred, and stretched. “Want breakfast? I can order room service.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Kagami demured.

“Cut the politeness act, Kagami, we literally sleep together.”

Kagami’s face flushed at the implications. “We- uh, not like _ that _ though…”

“That’s not what I’m going to tell Alya,” Chloé smirked at Kagami’s flustering.

“O-oh…” Kagami frowned. “…You think she’ll keep asking about it?”

“She will. I diverted her at the gala, but once she has her mind set on learning something, she doesn’t let it go until she exhausts her sources.” Chloé then mumbled, “Just like the Halloween fiasco last year…”

“Halloween fiasco?”

“She called me yesterday, trying to claim she wanted ‘lunch so we can catch up.’ I know that means an interrogation. So we need to come up with a proper cover story,” Chloé barreled forward, “How do we have sex?”

“Uhh…” Kagami blue-screened.

Chloé huffed. “Come on, we ought to come up with _ some _ details that will keep Alya satisfied.”

“I’ve never- I don’t know what it’s like, so I don’t know-”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re a virgin, that’s _ fine _ just use your imagination. What do you imagine the sex would be like?”

Her mind flashed back to the brief thoughts Alya had stirred up. Chloé tied up, face flush, lips red from arousal instead of makeup. Or the two of them naked, tangled up in the Bourgeois brand bed sheets in Kagami’s new bedroom, legs mingling together. Chloé with her hair down, spread against the pillow, moaning Kagami’s name… Kagami gulped, overwhelmed with guilt at thinking about a friend(?) in such a way. It wasn’t appropriate at all.

“Well?”

Kagami snapped out of her thoughts. “Huh?”

“You got all quiet, did you think of something?”

“No,” Kagami lied.

“Then let’s start with basics: Who’s the top, and who’s the bottom?”

Kagami’s brow furrowed. “What does that mean?”

Chloé sputtered a bit at Kagami’s confusion, “It means… well, you know.”

“I actually don’t.”

That had Chloé stumped.

“How is it sex related?”

“It’s like…” Chloé seemed to struggle articulating the words, “In a gay relationship, you’re supposed to like… Some people are tops, and some people are bottoms.”

“But what does that actually mean? And why is it specifically gay?”

“Well.” Chloé took a deep breath. “The top is the guy who, uh, _ penetrates _ the other person? And the bottom is the guy who like, gets penetrated?”

Kagami took the information in and mulled it over. It sort of made sense, but… “So what if it’s two girls? Do you have something to penetrate me with?”

“No!” Chloé’s mouth opened in shock at that. Then she blinked. “…Unless fingers count? Or should I buy something to do that? Like a strap-on?”

“What’s a strap-on?”

“Like a fake dick I could wear.”

“Or I could wear?”

Chloé narrowed her eyes. “I think I would wear the strap-on in our relationship.”

“We don’t know that,” Kagami insisted, “Besides, it’s not very lesbian of us to need a dick in the bedroom.”

“Don’t they need them though? How else would two girls have sex?”

Kagami crossed her arms. “…This seems like a question for a lesbian.”

* * *

The two of them sat on Chloé’s bed, breakfast on the trays they were delivered on, as Chloé’s phone rang.

It stopped ringing when the person on the other end picked up. _ “...Chloé?” _

Chloé grimaced. “Hi Rose.”

_ “What a surprise!” _ Rose’s voice was energetic, absolutely welcoming, but also a bit surprised. _ “You never call me! Like, ever! What’s the occasion?” _

“I have some, uh, questions about like… girls.”

Kagami glared at Chloé, trying to express how weirdly that was phrased.

Chloé coughed. “Like, liking girls.”

Rose squealed. _ “Oh I’ve waited for this moment for so long!” _

“Y-you have?”

_ “I’ve always suspected, but when Alya called me up to tell me the hottest gossip about you and Kagami, I practically died with excitement! I’m glad you’re finally out.” _

“What do you mean, ‘finally out’?”

“Chloé, the questions,” Kagami whispered urgently.

_ “I’m so honored that you’re calling me. Do you want to know about the best gay clubs _ _ in the area _ _ ? You don’t have to hook up with people there, it’s wonderful just to hang out with your girlfriend. Great sense of security and solidarity…” _

“No, I just have some… questions. Would you mind if I asked them?”

_ “Not at all! I’m happy to help!” _

“Can you promise not to tell anyone I asked them? Like, ever?”

_ “My lips are sealed!” _

“How do two girls have sex?”

That made Rose pause.

Chloé looked frantically at Kagami. Had they crossed a boundary? Did Rose know they were fake lesbians because all lesbians automatically knew how it all worked? Kagami shrugged aggressively, she didn’t know what to do either. Chloé continued, “Like, I’ve heard of gay guys being tops and bottoms, but how do you determine that with two girls? Who’s the top? Do you need a strap-on?

_ “Well that’s a lot of questions, but ultimately: Two girls have sex however they want to.” _

“That’s not helpful at all,” Chloé deadpanned.

Rose laughed. _ “It sounds like from your line of questioning you’re trying to ask specifically how two cis girls have sex.” _

“Uh, I guess? I think?” Chloé glanced over at Kagami for confirmation, and Kagami nodded.

_ “Firstly: Don’t get too caught up in ‘tops’ and ‘bottoms’. If it helps you and works for you, great! If it doesn’t, it’s definitely not required to define yourself like that. Some people find it problematic, especially when straight people use it to enforce a heterocentric lens on a gay relationship, and are trying to assign male and female roles to a relationship where that sort of binary doesn’t play a role.” _

Chloé looked at Kagami as if to ask ‘Did you catch all of that?’

_ “You mentioned strap-ons. Those can be great for some people. Some people love them. I know Juleka and I… _ ” Rose let out a fond laugh. _ “Well, I won’t go into it, but I’ve sometimes found them useful tools. But also, it’s valuable to examine what you think sex is and examine what you enjoy and what social pressures have told you you’re supposed to enjoy.” _

Kagami’s head was spinning. Rose was saying a lot. Chloé raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean what sex is? That’s simple, you just like, stick a dick in a hole, right?”

Rose’s deep breath was audible over the phone. _ “So are you saying two people without dicks can’t have sex?” _

“Uh… is that where the strap-on comes in?”

_ “You seem to be fairly new to accepting yourself, so I’m going to give some general advice. Think about what you want sex to be, not what television and straight people say it is. Sex is a social construct, and there’s nothing special or magical about a dick entering a vagina. It’s just one of many the possible ways people can interact sexually, which straight culture puts a lot of emphasis and drama on.” _

“So how would you define sex?”

_ “I don’t have a strict definition. I think generally think if me and/or my partner comes, I count that as sex. I know some people who define any activity with genitals as sex. Others who only count when both people come.” _ Rose giggled. _ “Which excludes most straight couples.” _

Kagami’s brain was whirring with this influx of information. She had never even had sex, but she thought she knew what it was. She hadn’t even considered that sex was a social construct.

_ “So I take it you and Kagami haven’t done a lot yet?” _

Chloé bit her lip, and Kagami wondered if she would lie. But Chloé, surprisingly, hunched her shoulders and admitted, “No, we haven’t gotten that far yet. But neither of us have done… it before. I mean!” Chloé straightened her back. “Like, I’ve had sex, with guys, with dicks, but I don’t know how to like… I’ve never had sex in another way before.”

_ “Aww, I love that you’re trying to research for her.” _

“I-it’s not that cute, and it’s not just for her.” Chloé avoided Kagami’s eyes.

_ “Of course, good for your personal lesbian journey as well. Or bi journey? I shouldn’t assume, I’m bi, so I _ really _ shouldn’t assume.” _

“Lesbian,” Chloé told her.

Maybe it was better for the cover if Chloé was a lesbian, so even if Kagami and her ‘broke up’ her dad wouldn’t push more male dates onto her, but… Kagami couldn’t help but wonder if it would be easier if Chloé just said bisexual, so when she found a man she actually wanted to date she could go to him without seeming confused about her sexuality.

_ “No matter what, you gotta communicate with your partner. Some people find it intimidating to have sex without dicks involved, because there’s no social script for that interaction, and they don’t know what to do. Personally though, I find it very freeing. Juleka and I have the freedom to only do what we actually enjoy. I say start with figuring out what you and Kagami enjoy, and then you guys can go from there.” _

“O-okay.” Chloé was quiet.

_ “Did I cover enough for you? Do you have any more questions?” _

“No, thank you, that was helpful.”

_ “I’m glad you’re out, we should have lunch soon and catch up! Us women-loving-women gotta stick together. Ooh! Or a double-date!” _

“Sure, maybe.”

_ “Alright, I’ll let you go now. Good luck with Kagami!” _

“Thanks, bye.”

_ “Bye!” _

Chloé hung up.

Kagami questioned their decision to call Rose about this while both of them were sitting on a bed. Now Kagami was avoiding Chloé’s eyes, struggling through Rose’s suggestions. Despite Rose’s assurances, it seemed terribly complicated.

“So, uh… what do you like?”

“I don’t know,” Kagami responded, still not looking at Chloé, “Unlike you, I haven’t had sex.”

“What about when you masturbate, though? What do you imagine?”

Kagami looked back to reveal her perplexed face to Chloé. “I don’t masturbate though?”

Chloé’s jaw hit the floor.

“Is that weird?”

“Uh, I think so? I don’t know, I don’t do surveys, but _ I _ masturbate. No wonder you’re so stiff.”

Kagami clenched her fists. So she was just weird then.

“Are you into sex at all? Or are you like, uh… unsexu-… ace?- asexual? That’s a thing, right?”

Kagami felt warm at the thoughts of Chloé and her wrapped up in each other, so… “No, I’ve had some sexual thoughts I guess. They’re pretty… appealing. I just haven’t really tried touching myself?”

“Okay, let’s work with those sexual thoughts, what are they about?”

“Private,” Kagami responded quickly. No way was she telling Chloé that all her sexual fantasies this past week involved her. It was probably just because she hadn’t really given space in her mind for that sort of thing until this whole fake relationship.

Chloé leaned towards her. “Can you at least _ try _ to work with me, here?”

Kagami bristled. “Well why don’t you start? What are _ you _ into?”

Chloé pulled back. “Uh…”

“What, too shy to share?”

“I’m not shy! Just thinking…” Chloé bit her lip. “I don’t know, exactly… Maybe… like, I don’t know?”

Kagami sighed. This was going nowhere.

Chloé threw up her hands. “Great, neither of us know anything! Nothing fun to share _ at all _ with Alya.”

Kagami mulled it over. Most of her feelings came from imagination, she wasn’t very experienced. Perhaps if she tried things out, she could figure out her feelings. “…What if we investigated?”

“Like what, searched the internet?”

“Like try it out?”

Chloé froze.

“Not actually have sex!” Kagami rushed to correct, “Like, maybe play-act things out.”

“Like how?” Chloé spoke with some hesitance.

“Like…”

Kagami pressed Chloé’s shoulder, pushing her to lie down on the bed. Chloé’s body lowered slowly, as though not quite processing what was happening, but did not resist. Kagami moved to hover above her, on her hands and knees like they were during the gala, on the deck. The soft bedding was significantly more pleasant than the hard table.

Chloé stared up at Kagami, eyes darting up and down like she wasn’t sure where to look. Kagami was pleased at how quiet and obedient Chloé became at the slightest pressure. She leaned in closer to increase that pressure. “If we were about to have sex right now… what would you want me to do to you?”

Chloé’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Kagami thought about the kink conversation with Alya. She grabbed Chloé’s wrists and pinned them above her head. “Do you like being pinned down? What if you were tied up? What is your mind jumping to?”

“I-… I-…”

Chloé’s phone rang.

Chloé shoved Kagami off of her, surprisingly forceful, before grabbing the phone. “Hello? Rose?”

_ “I forgot to mention: Eat her out.” _

Rose immediately hung up.

Chloé’s face was red. “We should take a break!”

Kagami frowned. Was pushing Chloé onto the bed too much? “Like, a ‘relationship’ break?”

Chloé shook her head. “Like, you’re going to go back to your room, and you’re going to masturbate completely privately without me involved. And figure out what you like.”

“What- are you _ assigning _ me relationship homework?”

“Yes.”

“Well in that case, you have to sort out your thoughts and tell me what you’re into next time we meet.”

Chloé bit her lip. “Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna delay kissing as long as possible (#slowburn), but I am horny at heart so we're getting lots of sex convos anyway.  
Also yes Kagami and Chloé are pretty clueless. Cis/Heteronormativity can do that to you.


	13. "Work"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami pulled out her phone, and opened a private browsing tab for the internet. With a gulp, she searched “porn” and clicked one of the top results to scroll through the top videos. She blushed at the blatant nudity. She wasn’t even comfortable changing in front of other girls most the time, would she be able to handle seeing all of… this?
> 
> A video with a blonde, long-haired girl caught her eye. She took a deep breath and clicked on it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's chapter features: A copious amount of horizontal line breaks

Kagami lied down on the bed. Completely alone. No Chloé. Doors closed. No interruptions. A completely free Saturday. To figure out how to masturbate.

How does one masturbate?

She should probably be naked, right? She stripped down, feeling shy despite knowing she was alone. This was a new place, though, not her home. Far away from her room, her bed, her mother…

Nope. Purging all Mother thoughts from her head. That was the _ last _ person she wanted to think about, both in general and especially when trying to masturbate.

She tried to think of sexy things. What was sexy?

_ Chloé… _

That would be rude. Chloé was being a kind friend, and she was completely straight. And Kagami was straight. She needed some new, appropriate material.

Is this why people looked up porn? Kagami pulled out her phone, and opened a private browsing tab for the internet. With a gulp, she searched “porn” and clicked one of the top results to scroll through the top videos. She blushed at the blatant nudity. She wasn’t even comfortable changing in front of other girls most the time, would she be able to handle seeing all of… this?

A video with a blonde, long-haired girl caught her eye. She took a deep breath and clicked on it.

* * *

Nope nope nope nope nope nope that was too much what the hell she looks like she’s literally _ in pain _ why would anyone be into that oh no why is he-

* * *

Okay fuck being polite she was going to masturbate to Chloé. She had imagination, she could make it work. She would just repress literally everything when she talked to Chloé. Just get through it and then pretend nothing ever happened.

So what had turned Kagami on? Thoughts of Chloé swirled in her head. She enjoyed the thought of Chloé being pressed down beneath her, pliant and obedient. Having Chloé shocked into silence was nice. Though Kagami wondered what she might say. Would Chloé make sounds like the girl in the video if Kagami touched her?

Kagami felt warm.

Her hand wandered downwards. She was supposed to… physically stimulate herself, right? How hard could it be?

* * *

After a rather disappointing 20 minutes, Kagami searched ‘how to masturbate vagina’.

* * *

Another hour later and Kagami felt like she maybe had some sense of what she was doing.

Also she had almost entirely masturbated to Chloé Bourgeois.

Which was fine. Not technically gay, since it’s only her imagination. It’s not like she was actually having sex with Chloé. She just had no experience with men, so her brain was filling in the role of a sexual partner with the person who she was pretending to date. She was sure if she actually tried to have sex with Chloé it probably wouldn’t work out. She was very turned on now, but probably she would only actually get turned if she was with a guy.

She just hadn’t found a guy yet that made her as turned on as Chloé.

She had tried to imagine a nameless guy, like the one in the video, but that had just felt weird and sort of alien. She had never interacted with a dick before, she didn’t have any sense of what it would feel like. And she didn’t feel as… emotionally connected? Not that her Chloé were especially close, but who else would she imagine? Well, technically she tried to imagine Adrien, very briefly, but that was even weirder. Although they once dated, Adrien was literally married now. Thinking about Chloé was weird, but at least she was single. Was masturbating about Adrien betraying Marinette? Or Adrien? Or both?

Kagami sighed. These things were too hard to think about.

* * *

Chloé tried to focus on her work. Her actual hotel work. Looking over files, debriefs, et cetera.

_ Not _ thinking about Kagami.

She rubbed her forehead. Doing work on a weekend, that’s how much she wanted to avoid the thoughts, but it wasn’t working great. She groaned and leaned back in her chair. Her head was way too filled with thoughts of Kagami this past week. Kagami in that dress, looking like a walking homosexuality advertisement. Kagami at night, wrapped up with Chloé in her bed, warm and present. Kagami pushing her down, leaning close, leaving her breathless…

The whole conversation preceding that was crazy. She barely kept up with what Rose was saying, but it left her thinking for hours afterwards.

_ “...it’s valuable to examine what you think sex is and examine what you enjoy and what social pressures have told you you’re supposed to enjoy.” _

Chloé had tensed her whole body when Rose had said that. What did that even mean? Chloé thought back on all her past sexual experiences. Did she really enjoy them? Was she trying to enjoy them because that’s what she thought she was supposed to do? If she tallied up all the things she liked and all the things she disliked about sex, then all she could think was that the dislikes outweighed the likes by quite a bit.

Rose talked about people who defined sex as both partners having an orgasm. If Chloé used that definition, then she had never had sex. Which didn’t sound right to her. When she had lost her virginity to Nathaniel, she thought it meant _ something _. It seemed meaningful at the time, though the experience itself was disappointing. She could agree with the thought that a dick going into a vagina wasn’t magical. Before she had sex, she imagined that as soon as that happened suddenly her body would activate and she would get properly aroused and have a good time.

But it hadn’t worked out like that. Instead, her best sex involved going to the bathroom to ‘freshen up’, masturbating until she was wet, then joining her partner in bed and letting him fuck her. Frankly, her very best ‘sex’ was just masturbating; the orgasms she could bring herself with her dexterous fingers. But in a relationship, she was supposed to have sex with her boyfriend, so that’s what she did.

Kagami wanted to know what Chloé liked in bed. She thought because Chloé had sex, that meant Chloé knew what was good. But Chloé was too embarrassed to admit she’d never had _ good _ sex. Tolerable? Sometimes. But she’d never had sex and thought she’d prefer to do it over, say, just cuddling the person in bed.

Why did all her thoughts cycle back to Kagami? Fortunately she only wanted to cuddle Kagami, nothing more.

It wasn’t like when Kagami pinned her down, she felt a shot of adrenaline run up her spine, or her temperature raise by degrees, or felt tempted to disregard Kagami’s single boundary, grab her, and pull her in for a kiss-

Chloé knocked her head against the desk. She had to stop thinking like that. It was just a weird fantasy, not real. She was just very dissatisfied with her past sexual partners, so her brain was assuming that maybe it would be different with a girl. That’s why she was developing all sorts of weird thoughts and expectations; her body was so desperate for a good sexual experience that it was willing to react to Kagami Tsurugi.

She couldn’t be gay. Didn’t people usually know they were gay? Nathaniel said he knew he was bisexual in kindergarten. There was no way a girl could get all the way to adulthood and not know she was a lesbian. She should have noticed in puberty at the very least.

Adrien was who she noticed in puberty. He was perfect, a good friend, a model, sweet, and safe. And Chloé had literally fought Marinette for him. Multiple times. So many of her days at school involved obsessing over what move Marinette would make next, stalking her, harassing her…

Huh, yeah she had dedicated a lot of time to Marinette, hadn’t she?

Chloé looked back down on her desk. There was a debrief for a meeting last week she needed to review. She was going to focus on that and not think about anything else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ladies...... is it gay..... to be turned on by your pretend girlfriend??


	14. Comparing Notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami couldn’t take it. “What if we just came up with something completely arbitrary?”
> 
> Chloé’s brow furrowed. “Completely arbitrary?”
> 
> “Like, look up a list of kinks, and choose a random one that’ll satisfy Alya’s curiosity.”
> 
> Chloé stroked her chin, thinking. “…Honestly, that could work?”

Chloé came to Kagami’s room this time. They sat on a couch, far away from the bed in the other room.

“So? What did you find out?” Chloé asked.

Kagami avoided Chloé’s eyes. She worked very hard to repress the dozens of ways she had fantasized about Chloé in this very suite. “Well, I found out how to masturbate.”

“…And?”

“And?”

“What did you masturbate to?”

“Why don’t you share first?”

Chloé huffed. “I asked first.”

Kagami couldn’t take it. “What if we just came up with something completely arbitrary?”

Chloé’s brow furrowed. “Completely arbitrary?”

“Like, look up a list of kinks, and choose a random one that’ll satisfy Alya’s curiosity.”

Chloé stroked her chin, thinking. “…Honestly, that could work?”

“So let’s do that!” Kagami got up and went to the bedroom, where her laptop was, on the bed.

She realized belatedly that Chloé was following her,  rather than waiting for Kagami to bring the laptop . That was fine, they could handle spending time in the bedroom without anything weird happening, right? Kagami got on the bed, and Chloé sat near by, far enough to avoid touching. Kagami opened her  computer .

And immediately clicked out of her ‘How to masturbate vagina’ tab.

She glanced at Chloé, trying to see if she had noticed, but Chloé had diplomatically averted her eyes from the screen. Kagami searched up ‘kinks list’ and clicked on one of the first links.

“Let’s see… Aliens?”

“Aliens?”

“That’s what it says here.”

“People are into aliens?”

“I guess?”

“So do they like… role-play it? Somebody pretends to be an alien?”

“…Let’s find something else.”

They continued scrolling.

“Dacryphilia? Aroused by tears?” Kagami asked out loud.

“Not kinky enough,” Chloé asserted.

“Isn’t it kind of kinky though? Like why would a person be crying if they weren’t being hurt? And why would you like hurting your partner?”

“If it’s sadism, people are into it,” Chloé informed her, “And they could be crying from being like, overwhelmed too I bet. Like in a good way.”

“Should we be sadists?” Kagami asked. It sounded like an easy thing to claim.

“It’d be best if one of us was a masochist then.”

Kagami nodded. “You can be the masochist.”

“What-” Chloé pouted. “I’m not into that.”

“I’m not into sadism or masochism either.”

“This is supposed to be pretend anyway.”

“Shouldn’t we choose something we can at least see some appeal in?”

They returned to the list.

Kagami squinted. “What’s a golden shower?”

“Not something I want to be associated with.”

“Knife play?”

“Too dangerous.”

“L-lactation?”

“Just… no.”

“Lesbians is a kink on this list.”

Chloé raised an eyebrow. “Like being lesbian?”

Kagami clicked to get an expanded description. “…No, the description seems like it’s just non-lesbians… watching lesbians?”

“In our situation I don’t think that would count as a kink.”

“Queening?”

“Ooh, I like the sound of that,” Chloé leaned in to look over Kagami’s shoulder. “What does it involve?”

“Uh…” Kagami stayed completely still, trying not to tense at Chloé’s chin on her shoulder. “A woman sitting on someone’s face.”

Chloé blinked. “Hmm.”

Kagami waited to see if Chloé would say anything more.

“Continue down the list.”

As they carried on and vetoed most of them, Kagami tried not to overthink Chloé leaning on her. They had been closer physically than that literally every night, but those nights felt separate from reality. That’s why Kagami avoided going to bed at the same time as Chloé. It was easier if she could just slip in at night and then slip out in the morning, so she could avoid addressing the intimacy.

Chloé spoke near her ear. “Honestly why not bondage?”

Kagami tilted her head away a smidgen. “Why not bondage?”

Chloé reached across Kagami to type in the search bar, ‘Bondage Basics’. “It’s kinky enough to make Alya think she’s onto something, but also common enough that it’s not actually that embarrassing.”

Kagami watched Chloé’s fingers, a fresh manicure on them, tap her mousepad as she looked through links. “That seems good.”

“Look, here’s some… uh…” Chloé’s voice trailed off.

The website she clicked had various images of people tied up by ropes. Kagami’s mouth went dry. Although the people all wore underwear on the bottom, their tops were all uncovered, including the women. Her eyes were drawn to a rope arrangement that pushed up one model’s breasts, pert and-

Chloé guffawed. “How the hell do they do such complicated knots?”

Kagami clicked on one of the images, which expanded into a step by step guide. “I don’t think it’s too crazy, there’s directions right here.”

“No way we could do that.”

“ _ I _ could do it.”

Chloé glared at Kagami. “Is that what we’ll tell Alya?”

“If you’ll let me.”

Chloé’s face softened immediately, and she turned away. “…She’d probably love that.”

That was probably the closest to an acceptance Kagami would get from Chloé. She continued clicking through different images, fascinated by the elaborate designs.

Chloé slid off the bed. “…I guess we have that sorted out now?”

“What? We’ll just say bondage and be done with it?”

“Y-yeah,” Chloé started pacing again, “Like, that should be enough, right? It would be impolite for her to push further than that.”

Kagami gave Chloé a deadpan look.

“Okay, yes, she would definitely push further. But we can hold our ground! Tell her our lips are sealed! We gave her a juicy little nugget to take home, she ought to calm down.”

That made Kagami giggle. “Let’s hope it works, then.”

After Chloé left, Kagami splayed on the bed, thinking.

Despite her attempts to discover her own sexuality, she hadn’t been able to tell Chloé anything. The whole learning-to-masturbate thing felt a little useless now that the information she got from it isn’t even going to be used.

Well… maybe not  _ completely _ useless. Kagami didn’t have anything scheduled to do today. She had plenty of free time, and nothing to fill it. She poked her head out of the bedroom, just to make sure Chloé was gone. Once secure in the knowledge that she was alone, she returned to the bed and laid down.

Her eyes closed and her hand slipped down. She still had the bondage website open. Her eyes raked over the models, and the knotted ropes surrounding them. Some of them seemed primarily decorative, twisting and looping to make elaborate shapes and designs across their chests and arms. But the ones Kagami was most captivated by were those that had arms and legs bound, either together or against other parts of the body.

Would Chloé ever let someone do that sort of thing to her? Although she didn’t claim to be sincerely into it, she was willing to be associated with it. Surely if her partner asked, Chloé would be willing to try it out.

Chloé would probably be snarky at first, rolling her eyes, making a sarcastic comment about ‘what’s even fun about tying someone up’. Kagami would carry on tying her up, ignoring the comments or sassing her back if she felt like giving her that kind of attention. Chloé would get quieter as they continue, voice getting restrained along with her body. Once she was unable to move, Chloé would only be able to avert her eyes, growing shy under Kagami’s heated gaze. She might spit out a rude remark, trying to act unaffected by her predicament, but her shaking voice and red face would reveal her true feelings.

Kagami would touch her just a bit, reveling in her vulnerability. Chloé would probably expect Kagami to take advantage of the position immediately, but Kagami would want to tease her first. She wouldn’t touch anywhere too sensitive at first, just running her hands up and down Chloé’s arms while telling her how pretty she is. As Chloé grows impatient, Kagami would slip her fingers across less-innocent areas. She focused back on the computer, looking at the picture with the model’s breasts framed by the rope. If she tied Chloé like that, she could  brush her fingertips over her nipple. What kind of sounds would Chloé make? Would she let out a dirty moan, enjoying the attention? Would she hold back, determined not to seem like a pervert? Would she fail at holding back and let out an involuntary gasp, pleasure winning out over her embarrassment?

Kagami was growing warmer and warmer at the thoughts. Whichever way it turned out, Chloé would be unbearably cute. Her eyes slipped closed and her hand started moving faster. Her brain filled with an imaginary Chloé that would let Kagami tie her up and touch her like a real lover would. Kagami was panting at the thoughts. The thought of Chloé breaking down and begging Kagami to touch her more made Kagami’s heart quicken, and the heat in her body raise absurdly high. She was sweating now.

Her body seemed to reach some sort of crest of arousal, and she writhed involuntarily. Her hand slowed, body suddenly feeling beyond sensitive. Her heart was still pounding, but a wash of calm fell over her.

Her eyes snapped open as she realized.  _ That had to be an orgasm _ . Oh. That was her first one.

_ Knock knock knock. _

She sat up and slammed the computer shut. Who could that be? She got out of bed, barely catching her balance as her legs almost buckled beneath her. Her body was still warm, creases of her clothes feeling damp with sweat, as she walked to the door.

Pulling it open, the last person she wanted to see at this moment stood with a phone in her hand.

“Alya said Tuesday lunch would work for her,” Chloé was staring at her phone, as though reading the message, “Works for me too. How about you?”

“Sure.” Kagami felt short of breath.

Chloé looked up at the soft voice. She squinted at Kagami, and Kagami tried to tell her body to cool down instead of growing yet more heated under Chloé’s stare. Chloé leaned a bit as she spoke, “You look a little red,” Her head came up to press against Kagami’s forehead, “Are you getting sick?”

“No.” Kagami pushed the hand away (using the hand she had  _ not _ been masturbating with), feeling like a pervert for enjoying the touch.

Chloé raised an eyebrow. “If you need anything, I can get a doctor here pretty quick.”

“I’m fine,” Kagami took a step back, “Really.”

“It’s your body, I guess.” Chloé focused back on her phone. “I’ll tell Alya to meet us Tuesday lunch then.”

“Great.”

Kagami slammed the door shut, then chastised herself for slamming the door on Chloé. Chloé definitely noticed something was up. Kagami could only hope Chloé wouldn’t think too hard on why Kagami might seem red and out of breath, especially when the last time she saw Kagami was while talking about kinks they could do together.

She opened up her computer and closed out of the bondage website. That was far too dangerous to keep open. She needed to repress all of those memories so next time she saw Chloé she wouldn’t have a single dirty thought. Chloé had told her at their very first dinner she was straight; Kagami imagining doing all of these things was disrespectful.

Kagami needed new material. Spending so much time with Chloé had warped her, so she couldn’t think of anything else. She needed something, or someone…

Maybe if she ‘hooked up’ with someone, those memories would override her Chloé memories.

…Would that be cheating on Chloé?

She clenched her eyes shut and shook her head. No, they weren’t even dating in the first place. Kagami just had to keep it discreet, so the tabloids wouldn’t slander them. How did people do that nowadays? She could go to a bar, but she had never been to a bar to try and hook up with people. She needed something less intimidating, preferably that could be done at home, and without revealing her identity right away…

With considerable hesitance, Kagami downloaded a hookup app onto her phone. She didn’t need anything serious, just someone to work these feelings out with so she wasn’t dumping everything onto Chloé. When making the profile, she took a photo of only below her face. She didn’t want anyone to recognize her, after all. Her description was short:

_ Looking for some fun, but gotta be discreet. _

Should she add an emoji? Those were hip, right? Determined to seem hip, she added a winking emoji to the end of it.

When she saw the gender preference options, her fingers hovered over ‘women’. Should she…

Clenching her teeth, she shifted a finger to tap on ‘men’. Just because Chloé was a woman didn’t mean anything. Those feelings were related to Kagami’s late-life sexual awakening occurring as she was cuddling Chloé every night. She needed a man so she could start imagining a man in her fantasies instead of Chloé. Then she’d be normal; maybe she’d even marry a man and have kids like Mother wanted.  N ot with the Hiko family son, since she wanted to be in love with the man first, but hopefully whoever she chose would be up to Mother’s standards.

She braced herself, and started going through profiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Lunch with Alya ;)


	15. Lunch with Alya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alya turned to Kagami. “Say, since when are you a lesbian?”
> 
> “Since Chloé.”
> 
> “Oh? Was Chloé your sexual awakening?”
> 
> Kagami didn’t even have to lie. “Yes.”

“Go ahead with the interrogation,” Chloé told Alya.

With a chuckle, Alya leaned on her hand. “Oh come on, I meant it when I said I just wanted to catch up.”

Chloé glared at her. “That’s what you said after the Halloween fiasco too.”

“There was a lot to catch up on there.”

Kagami watched them bicker with some awe. Their exchanges seemed well-worn, like a practiced dance, with lots of edges and sharp turns. Kagami didn’t know where to jump in.

Until Chloé put an arm around her. They were in a booth, Kagami and Chloé on one side while Alya sat alone on the other side. “You’re just jealous, aren’t you?” Chloé smirked at Alya.

“I’ll have you know that I’m quite satisfied with my hook-up apps. Nobody could keep up with me in a relationship.”

Kagami stiffened at the mention of those sorts of apps. She hadn’t told Chloé she had downloaded one, even though it wasn’t technically cheating on her. She had a few matches, most of which had messaged her as well, though she hadn’t responded back to any of them yet.

Chloé’s hands slipped from Kagami’s shoulder down to her upper arm, and she pulled her closer. “The best people aren’t on those apps.”

Kagami bit her lip. It’s not like she was looking for the ‘best’ person, just someone who could distract her from Chloé for awhile.

Alya leaned forward. “Then how did you two get together?”

Kagami froze. Maybe they should have been preparing more than just kinks for their background. She glanced at Chloé, looking to her for guidance. Chloé responded after only a  tiny pause, “We met a few times in high school.”

“And?”

Kagami caught the story and kept it moving, “We hadn’t really spent a ton of time together until recently, when Adrien, uh…” She couldn’t think of a good way to phrase it.

“Adrien suggested we get to know each other better, and it spiraled from there.”

Alya snorted. “Adrien? A matchmaker?”

“I know, it’s a shocker,” Chloé confessed.

“So did Adrien know about your sexuality?”

Chloé froze at that. Kagami kicked her leg to try and trigger a response, and Chloé coughed. “…No.”

“Oh?”

“As you know, I haven’t been super open about… My inclinations.”

Alya rolled her eyes. “It’s the 21 st century, you don’t need to be so roundabout about phrasing it.”

Chloé glanced around and pouted. “Sorry I’m trying to be discreet.”

“You telling everyone about us at the gala wasn’t discreet,” Kagami pointed out.

Chloé glared at her.

Alya smiled. “So what changed your mind? What made you come out now?”

“I… I hadn’t had a relationship like,” Chloé glanced at Kagami, but immediately looked away when they made eye contact, “Not like the one with Kagami. Up until I started dating her, it didn’t seem necessary to come out.”

Alya looked at Kagami, and Kagami realized she should be touched by the lie. She put a hand on her heart. “Aw, Chloé…”

Chloé pulled her hand away from Kagami, embarrassed, “It’s no big deal.”

“Chloé Bourgeois calling something she does ‘no big deal’? Getting all shy?” Alya asked with a Cheshire grin, “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you so smitten.”

Chloé blushed, “You’ve only seen me with men before.”

“You guys seem like you love each other a lot.”

“Well love is a bit-”

“Yes,” Kagami responded quickly to keep up their cover.

Chloé grew redder.

Alya turned to Kagami. “Say, since when are you a lesbian?”

“Since Chloé.”

“Oh? Was Chloé your sexual awakening?”

Kagami didn’t even have to lie. “Yes.”

Alya made a cooing sound at that. “How sweet, don’t you think so, Chloé?”

Chloé was practically a tomato at this point. “Shut up.”

“What if your girlfriend  _ wants _ to tell me everything? You wouldn’t dare stop her, would you?”

Chloé narrowed her eyes. “Try me.”

Alya ignored her, focusing back on Kagami. “What do you like about Chloé?”

“She’s very kind, a determined person and, uh…” Kagami thought she should at least say one more thing, “Very pretty.”

“You think I’m pretty?”

Kagami looked at Chloé, who was backed up to the corner of the booth, flushed and flustered beyond belief. Apparently despite preparing for a sexual interrogation, Chloé was ill-equipped to handle an emotional one. Kagami frowned, knowing such a comment could blow their cover. “Obviously? I’m dating you, after all?”

“But you’ve never said it to me before,” Chloé struggled with the words, as though she just realized how unnatural it was.

Kagami scooted closer to Chloé. “What I’m getting from this is that I should tell you more when I think you’re pretty.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Chloé mumbled.

“You’re very pretty when you’re embarrassed.”

Chloé covered her face.

Alya laughed. “Okay guys, we’re in the middle of a restaurant here, although I can’t say I’m unhappy to see Chloé a flustered mess for once.”

“I’m not a ‘flustered mess’!” Chloé exclaimed.

Kagami was also amused at Chloé’s reactions. She wanted to tease her more. She leaned in close to Alya. “She gets like this real easy if you push her right.”

“Oh?” Alya’s eyes glinted. “Push her how?”

“In the bedroom,” Kagami remembered her own fantasy, and dared to use it as fodder for the lies, “If you just put a little pressure on, tie her up, tease her for awhile, you can get her begging for-”

Chloé clamped a hand over Kagami’s mouth. “I think that’s  _ more _ than enough to share with a friend.”

Alya rubbed her hands together. “Not just a friend, a  _ good _ friend, so perhaps you could share just a little more?”

Chloé kept Kagami’s mouth covered. Kagami squirmed a bit in her seat, hand coming up to pull at the hand, but Chloé held fast. Although Kagami could technically breath through her nose, she felt strongly restrained. Chloé touching her like she owned Kagami, and deserved to control what Kagami said to the point of physically restraining her. On one hand, Kagami thought she ought to fight against it, calling it rude and wrong, insisting Chloé be more respectful (especially considering they weren’t really dating)…

On the other hand, it was really hot.

Kagami had been imagining tying up Chloé this whole time, she hadn’t even spared a thought for what it would be like if Chloé turned the tables and forced Kagami to her knees. The realization was like someone lit a match. Kagami gulped, clearing out her salivating mouth. She stiffened as much as possible, so hopefully neither of the other people at the table would notice she just had another sexual awakening (once again, thanks to Chloé).

Fortunately, Chloé and Alya were still arguing, so they weren’t focused too much on Kagami. It also meant Chloé’s grip loosened, and Kagami tugged the hand away, interlocking their fingers together and resting the held hands on the table.

Chloé was ranting at Alya, “…And you didn’t invite me to your birthday party, so I hardly think we can be called good friends.”

“That’s because you were banned from the venue! I showed them the invitation list and they literally crossed you off!”

“Oh so you won’t even change your birthday party venue for me. That sure sounds like something you would do to an acquaintance.”

Alya groaned. “I don’t know why you hate the idea of being friends with me so much.”

“I don’t have  _ friends _ ,” Chloé insisted, “I have  _ contacts _ .”

“What about me?” Kagami asked simply.

Chloé’s head snapped to Kagami, like she had forgotten she was there. She also glanced over their interlocked hands, as though she hadn’t noticed that occurring. The cocky, haughty Chloé softened immediately. “…And a girlfriend.”

“And a good friend?” Alya asked while batting her eyelashes.

Chloé returned to bitch mode. “And the press.”

* * *

Chloé woke up to her door opening. Kagami’s familiar silhouette slipped towards the bed. Chloé shifted to accommodate her, and she thought she would be able to go right back to sleep.

“You’re pretty,” Kagami said softly.

Chloé flushed. “Okay, number one: You can’t see me in the dark, and number two: That was a nice save during the conversation, but you really don’t need to do that for real.”

Kagami cuddled up close to Chloé. “I know you’re pretty, even in the dark.”

Chloé rolled so her back was to Kagami. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“And why can’t I say it? It’s true.”

Chloé drew in a sharp breath. “You can’t just  _ say _ shit like that.”

“Like what?”

Chloé grumbled. “Sappy shit. It sounds like you like me or something.”

“I do like you.”

Chloé froze. Adrenaline spiked her blood. Was this happening? Right here, right now? Chloé didn’t feel ready. What was she supposed to say? Was she supposed to say anything? Was she supposed to shove Kagami out of bed, accusing her of taking advantage of their deal to get close to Chloé? Or was she supposed to turn around and kiss the living daylights out of Kagami? Chloé was a tangled mess of feelings, and she didn’t know where to start untangling.

Kagami continued, “You’re a good friend.”

After a relieved sigh, Chloé took in a deep breath. “Go to sleep, Kagami.”

At least Kagami stopped talking after that.

It took awhile for Chloé to calm down, but she eventually drifted off into sleep.

* * *

Chloé was back in school, walking through the hallways. Marinette was there, wearing the twin pig-tails she used to wear back then. She was giggling and running, Chloé chasing behind her, Marinette had done something wrong again, and Chloé needed to punish her. Marinette turned a sharp corner, and as soon as Chloé got there she was on the Eiffel tower. She looked around for Marinette, when a hand on her waist made her jump.

“Shh,” Kagami wrapped her arms fully around Chloé’s waist and whispered in her ear, “Don’t let anyone hear.”

Chloé grew warm and fuzzy when Kagami ran her hands all over her body. Kagami was wearing the dress from the gala, and the fluffy skirt rubbed against Chloé’s legs. Chloé let out some strange sounds.

She tried to stop when she saw Marinette watching them. She wanted to say something to Kagami, but she was unable to form words. The only thing that came out of her mouth were those desperate gasps and moans. She was ashamed to be making those sorts of sounds from Kagami’s touch, especially with Marinette watching with a smirk.

Next to Marinette, Rose sat, giggling and whispering in Juleka’s ear. Sabrina beside them stared with wide eyes. Chloé tried to speak again, to tell Kagami to slow down so Chloé wouldn’t be looking like this in front of them, but her voice was still broken.

Kagami turned Chloé around, their bodies were pressed together, legs intertwined, and Kagami squeezed Chloé’s thighs. “Be a good girl, Chloé,” Kagami whispered.

Chloé  _ whimpered _ , and-

* * *

Woke up.

Her eyes snapped open, looking to see if Kagami noticed anything. Chloé was out of breath, still warm from the dream, and the last thing she wanted was for Kagami to have been woken up from Chloé shifting or (please no) making any sounds out loud. Fortunately, Kagami was breathing deep and slow, clinging close to Chloé and legs intertwined.

Just like in the dream.

Chloé felt more shame than she had in the dream, and slowly extracted herself from Kagami’s embrace. She frowned as Kagami stirred, making a displeased sound at the separation, but she didn’t seem to have woken up, eventually curling up beneath the covers alone.

Chloé stepped out onto the balcony, letting the cool night wash over her and calm her down.

Her feelings were a tangled mess. Was it normal to feel this way about someone? To have dirty dreams while sleeping with them in bed? She had sex dreams with boys in them before, did those make her straight? Did this dream make her gay? Did straight girls think about kissing their friend?

She put both hands on the railing of the balcony. She had a million questions, and zero answers. She wanted to know if she was still normal, if she was still straight, if she was just confused.

She needed to talk to  _ someone _ about this.

Her mind jumped to Kagami, but Kagami was part of the problem so that was a no-go. Who else knew the relationship was a farce?

Adrien, as lovely as he was, wasn’t too sharp with relationships or introspection.

Marinette might have good insights, but she was definitely closer to Kagami than Chloé, and might tell Kagami the secrets.

Nobody else knew. Who was Chloé even friends with? Sabrina was undercover for her detective work, and told Chloé not to contact her for a few weeks. Alya would definitely make a scandal out of it.

Who could relate to these feelings? Who would know what it feels like to like a girl-

Rose.

Chloé tapped her forehead against the railing. She should have thought of that first. Rose had a girlfriend. When she talked to Rose before, Rose had seemed pretty open to talking about sex and sexuality, willing to answer even embarrassing weird questions. Not to mention she seemed pretty knowledgeable on the subject, if anyone could make sense of Chloé’s feelings, it would be Rose.

Now a little chilly, Chloé stepped back into her room and grabbed her phone. She sent a text:

_ Can we meet up and chat? I need advice _ .

She just hoped Rose wouldn’t find it too weird that Chloé was messaging her at 3:34 AM.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kagami pulling an Adrien (#JustAFriend)


	16. Conference with Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose rubbed her hands together like a supervillain. “So what’s the problem?”
> 
> Chloé took a deep breath. “Okay, so you know how Kagami and I are dating?”
> 
> “I literally gave you sex advice, so yes.”
> 
> “We’re not actually dating.”
> 
> Rose stared, unblinking.
> 
> “Our relationship is fake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We stan Rose in this house

“So what made you text me at 3:34 AM?”

Rose was chipper, but perplexed as she sat on one of the beanbags in her apartment. She had dyed her hair pink a few years ago, and it matched most of the pink furniture. Chloé had insisted they meet somewhere private, so Rose had offered up her own place. Chloé was glad, she didn’t want Kagami to see Rose coming to or leaving the hotel and start asking questions.

“First, do you promise not to anyone about what I’m about to tell you?”

Rose put a finger on her cheek. “Nobody? Not even Juleka?”

“Who’s talking about me?” Juleka walked into the room.

Juleka had cut her hair once she started modeling, adopting a devilish undercut that showed off her face, so Chloé good clearly see her good-natured smirk.

“I want as few people as possible to know about this,” Chloé clarified, “So no Juleka.”

“Oh, secrets, exciting,” Juleka noted in a deadpan.

“Isn’t it?” Rose looked at Juleka like she had just recited the best poetry on the planet. She turned back to Chloé, “Is it anything Juleka should know about? Like involving her at all?”

“No, it’s very much a personal problem of mine,” Chloé told her.

Juleka nodded. “I’m going to work anyway. Have fun.”

“You too, Darling!” Rose hopped out of the beanbag to give Juleka a goodbye kiss.

As soon as Juleka was out the door, Rose rubbed her hands together like a supervillain. “So what’s the problem?”

Chloé took a deep breath. “Okay, so you know how Kagami and I are dating?”

“I literally gave you sex advice, so yes.”

“We’re not actually dating.”

Rose stared, unblinking.

“Our relationship is fake.”

Rose still stared.

Chloé shifted, uncomfortable. Since Rose didn’t respond, all she could do was continue explaining herself. “My dad kept setting me up on weird political-alliance forming dates, and Kagami’s mom tried to get her into an arranged marriage, so we thought it would help both of us if we pretended to date and be lesbians together.”

“I… I gave you sex advice?” Rose sounded aghast.

“We wanted to know what to tell people if they asked about our sex life. Since neither of us had experience with a woman, we didn’t know anything.”

Rose took a deep breath. Chloé waited for her to speak.

“When you texted me, I assumed that you maybe got into a fight with Kagami. Or that you wanted tips on how to eat her out. Or that you were planning a one-month anniversary surprise with her that you wanted me to help you with,” Rose spoke slowly, “But I don’t know why you’re confessing all of this to me now. What do you want from me?”

Chloé couldn’t look Rose in the eye. “I- I don’t know how to put it, but… Like I said, it’s a fake relationship, but the longer we’re ‘together’, the more I’ve started to notice her and…”

Chloé trailed off, scared to articulate the point. But Rose waited, ever patient, so Chloé had no choice but to continue.

“Like during that phone call, you talked about how like, sometimes society tells you you’re supposed to like something, and I don’t think of myself as someone who gets like, peer-pressured or whatever, but then I started thinking about every time I’ve been with a man, and I didn’t like it, and I just assumed sex is bad and girls just pretend that they enjoy it, but with Kagami…”

Rose’s eyes were wide, but her expression was open and non-judgemental.

“I don’t know, Kagami and I haven’t even _ really _ done anything, but I keep having thoughts, and last night I had the most vivid _ dream _ with her in it, and it’s like I feel- I feel-” Chloé’s words started to rush, “I don’t understand, we haven’t even _ kissed _ , but she makes me feel more than every man I’ve ever been with, and I don’t know if like,” Chloé’s throat started to feel tight, “I don’t know if it’s _ real _. Am I just projecting? Have I just never found the right man, and my brain thinks doing a woman will satisfy me instead, and is building up all these feelings and expectations that might come tumbling down as soon as anything actually happens, or am I… Am I actually…”

A hard blink sent some tears down Chloé’s cheeks. She didn’t even realize she had been tearing up, but it made sense. She hadn’t said any of these feelings out loud before; now that they left her brain and were heard by another person, they felt all too real. This was beyond idle thoughts and daydreams; it was real.

Rose got out of her bean bag to join Chloé’s. Rose was still as tiny as ever, but her arms were wide enough to give Chloé a big hug. Chloé sobbed into her shoulder. This was ridiculous. She hadn’t talked to Rose in years, and after one phone call and a visit she was crying in front of her. She hadn’t even cried in front of Kagami yet. But the confession was like a pin that had held the floodgates back, and now Chloé was being pulled along the current through an emotional tidal wave.

“I’m sorry,” Chloé choked out.

“You’re okay!” Rose responded, cheerful as ever, “You have nothing to be sorry for!”

“Yeah I do, I’m getting snot all over your nice blouse.”

Rose chuckled and pulled back. “All right, let’s get you some tissues then.”

Fortunately those were nearby, Rose just hopped into the kitchen and brought a whole box to Chloé. Chloé pulled out a fistful and blew her nose. Normally she’d be embarrassed to be so gross in front of another human being, but she had already been so ridiculous in front of Rose that it didn’t seem to matter anymore.

With the tissues on her lap, Chloé felt a little calmer. “…Sorry, again, I’m sure this is a lot.”

Rose knelt down in front of Chloé. “You don’t need to apologize, in fact I want to thank you for sharing this with me. I feel special knowing that you trust me with that information. It can be scary to confront those feelings, so thank you for letting me be a part of your journey of discovery.”

Chloé started crying again. This time Rose just gave her some comforting pats until she calmed down.

Chloé finally felt strong enough to confront the central issue. “What am I, Rose? Am I gay?”

Rose patted her back again. “I don’t get to decide that.”

Chloé groaned. “I came here for a diagnosis.”

Rose laughed at that. “You think I’m some sort of sexuality doctor?”

“I don’t know, you seem like you know a lot about sexuality, so I thought you would be able to just tell me if it’s just normal confused straight feelings or if I’m one big repressed lesbian.”

“Like I said, it’s not for me to decide. It’s not for anyone else to decide; your sexuality is something each person is allowed to define for themselves.”  
“Then why can’t I just decide to be straight?” Chloé lamented.

“Because then you’d be ignoring those Kagami-feelings?”

Chloé let out a sniffle and wiped her nose again. “Are they real?”

“Any feelings you feel are real. People can act externally, but I struggle to imagine how one can internally have a ‘fake’ feeling.”

“What if I try to be with her, and discover it wasn’t real? What if I think vaginas are gross?”

Rose giggled. “Well if that happens, those will be new feelings you can use to evaluate how you want to define yourself. But it hasn’t happened yet, right?”

“…No.”

“You’re allowed to be confused, Chloé, things aren’t always straight-forward. Heh, ‘straight’-forward.” Rose laughed at her own joke.

“But nobody else seems confused!” Chloé exclaimed, crushing some tissues in her hands. “I’m in my twenties, shouldn’t I know what I like by now? You know you’re bi, why can’t I know?”

“There are some people who realize in their nineties that they’re gay. And there’s also people who change throughout life, who might start out liking one gender truly and sincerely, but as they age their feelings change and they end up liking another gender the same way, but not the previously gender anymore. Not everyone talks about it, so you can’t always know, but I bet you’d be surprised by how many other people are confused.”

Chloé sniffled.

“Want to hear my sexuality story?” Rose asked. “I don’t know if it’ll help, but it might give you another perspective.

Chloé nodded.

“When I was young, I loved stories about princes and princesses. I loved the idea of being a princess, and all the stories about princesses I read and watched included a prince who loved her, and who she loved. It was all so romantic, it was exactly what I wanted. And I liked boys, so it seemed perfect! I crushed on boys all through elementary. I had a huge crush on Prince Ali, who you might recall. I fit into the role of the princess, so it didn’t seem like I needed to question anything. Then I became friends with Juleka.”

Chloé glanced at some photographs on the wall, of Juleka and Rose at a beach together.

“We got close, and I found myself wishing she was a boy. I even said it to her face,” Rose paused to giggle, “She still brings it up, apparently she was pining at the time and it sent a stake right through her heart. Juleka was great, but in my head romance was something that happened between a princess and her prince, not a princess and a princess.”

“So what changed?” Chloé asked.

Rose shrugged. “I was watching a television show, and two girls got together.”

“…That’s it?”

“That’s it. Once I learned that it was an option, it was like a barrier was lifted. I questioned why Juleka had to be a boy for me to date her. And I realized that there was no reason. So I started dating her.”

“…And it worked out?”

Rose gestured to their shared apartment.

“Fair enough.”

Rose smiled at Chloé. “That’s just my story. It’s definitely not the only way people figure themselves out. And your story is yours to make and define, it’s not something I can give you.”

Chloé pondered on Rose’s story. She said it wasn’t the only way that people figure themselves out, but it resonated with Chloé. Rose hadn’t realized she liked girls until she realized it was a valid option. Chloé didn’t realize she liked Kagami until she pretended to date her. “I like Kagami,” Chloé realized out loud.

Rose gasped.

“I like Kagami,” Chloé said again, mostly for herself, “I don’t know anything else for sure yet, and I don’t know what will happen if I try anything with her, but right now I don’t know what to call these feelings other than a crush.”

Rose squealed.

“Um, no need to freak out?” Chloé told her.

“It’s just so _ romantic _.” Rose sighed.

Chloé pouted. “What’s so romantic about confused sexuality?”

“It’s just like one of those romantic comedies,” Rose clarified, “Where through a convoluted series of events two characters end up pretending to date, but then they fall in love for real. You’re like, in the second act now.”

Chloé recoiled. “W-we definitely don’t know if Kagami likes me. I doubt it.”

Rose blinked, wide eyed. “Why not?”

“She told me she was straight.”

“Did you tell her you were straight?”

“Yeah?”

“And are you straight?”

“…No.”

Rose smiled. “If you changed, maybe she did too. After all, you two have been sharing experiences, it would make sense to start moving towards the same feelings.”

Chloé gulped. “I don’t know whether her liking me back or not liking me back is scarier.”

Rose put a hand on her shoulder. “Whatever happens, I’m cheering for you.”

“Thank you… For everything.”

“No problem. If you want to repay me, do you best and tell me a romantic, happy ending next time we meet.”

Chloé laughed. “I can try.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I can't get through a multi-chapter gay Chloé fic without at least one person having a sexuality crisis and crying about it.


	17. A Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few other people had messaged her, but she had been too intimidated to respond. Also a few of the first messages sent were a bit too… forward, for her liking. She couldn’t imagine why someone would think ‘trade tit pic for dick pic??’ was an appropriate way to initiate contact, but perhaps these apps had a different etiquette than she was used to.

Kagami was swiping through profiles when she saw a strangely familiar face. She stared at the first photo, a basic selfie with a smiling face. Something about that pointed chin and swept back hair triggered something in her memory…

The park! This was the person that had helped that choking child. Kagami looked closer at his profile. His name was Kaito, and he only had two other pictures, but his description was friendly.

_ Let’s get to know each other. If you like cats, I have one and she’d love to meet you. _

One of the pictures included the cat. It was adorable. Kagami liked the profile.

‘You Have a Match!’

Kagami almost dropped the phone at the notification. Kaito apparently liked her too. Kagami stared at the profile, and opened up the chat. A few other people had messaged her, but she had been too intimidated to respond. Also a few of the first messages sent were a bit too… forward, for her liking. She couldn’t imagine why someone would think ‘trade tit pic for dick pic??’ was an appropriate way to initiate contact, but perhaps these apps had a different etiquette than she was used to.

This particular man, however, she recognized from real life. This was the sort of thing that happened in movies. Maybe it was fate?

Kagami carefully typed out her first message.

_ Hi! You seem cool, what’s up? _

After staring at it for a full minute, she added a smiley face emoji to it before hitting send.

Once it was sent, her heart rate spiked, and she tried not to think too hard about it. She just sent a message. It wasn’t a commitment. She could just delete the app if things went south. And Chloé didn’t need to know anything.

Her phone buzzed. _ You seem pretty cool yourself! I just cooked dinner, udon :) Hbu? _

Kagami googled what ‘Hbu’ stood for. Upon discovering it meant ‘How about you’, she crafted her next text: _ Not much, relaxing after work. _

From there, they texted more and more. She learned his cat’s name was Butterfinger. He enjoyed cooking, hiking, and reading. It turned out they both were interested in the same book series, and there was a long conversation about that. Kagami rolled over her bed, enjoying the conversation. Was this really happening? Maybe she really was in a romance movie. This man seemed great. They were compatible on so many levels.

Kagami was surprised to discover how much time had passed. _ I should probably go to bed. I have work tomorrow morning. _

_ Good night! Chat tomorrow? _

_ Yes! _

* * *

Kagami wasn’t even all that nervous that night. Despite her mother still waiting outside her workplace every day, Kagami was almost starting to enjoy the distance. She didn’t have to tip-toe around all the time. She had space to stretch, and she didn’t have to justify her actions all the time. There was a strange sense of freedom beneath all the hurt, some deeper ache she hadn’t realized she had until there was an opportunity to exercise it.

When she rested her head against the pillow, she didn’t feel that usual buzzing feeling. Instead, she was excited by this new texting partner. And felt safe in this secure room.

And maybe a bit cold.

Her body stretched across the bed. There was more space than she was used to, and nothing to cuddle. She rolled around a bit, trying to find a comfortable position, but…

She got out of bed with a sigh. She knew what she needed.

She picked up Chloé’s spare key and left the room.

* * *

Chloé yawned as she woke up, Kagami nestled comfortably beside her.

She watched the peaceful rise and fall of Kagami’s chest, breathing deep and easy. Chloé almost blushed remembering what she had confessed to Rose yesterday, and the fact that it took so long for her to realize her own feelings. Why else would she encourage Kagami slipping into her bedroom night after night? She couldn’t get enough of the woman.

Chloé resisted the temptation to straddle Kagami and meet their lips. Or to wake Kagami up and beg her to take Chloé in whatever way she wanted. They were in a delicate situation, and Chloé was not about to fuck it up.

She needed to convince Kagami that this fake relationship was worth turning into a real relationship. But she also couldn’t push too hard. Kagami was staying at the hotel since she was literally kicked out of her house, so the last thing Chloé wanted was for Kagami to feel pressured to give into a relationship in order to live somewhere.

No, she needed to express her affection for Kagami, but she couldn’t flirt too hard or force her into anything. She wanted Kagami to know how much she cared for her, but she had to stay chaste until Kagami expressed at least a bit returned interest…

Kagami’s alarm went off, and Chloé almost groaned at the interruption. That meant they were done cuddling. Kagami got up quickly, ever efficient, turning off the alarm less than a second after it started going off. Kagami glanced back at Chloé with a sheepish expression, probably concerned that the alarm had woken Chloé up.

Chloé shifted to get up properly as well, she had work anyway.

Kagami practically sprinted out of the room, and Chloé sighed at her departing form. The weekend when she had been able to convince Kagami to linger had been so nice, but during the week Kagami was always on a mission to get ready for work, unwilling to indulge in a slow morning.

Chloé couldn’t be too upset though, after all Kagami was dedicated to her work, and Chloé admired that. The kids who got to be taught by her were fortunate.

While getting dressed, Chloé wondered how she could express her feelings safely.

As she slipped a necklace around her neck, a delightful idea occurred to her.

A _ present _.

And she knew exactly what a perfect present would be.

* * *

Kaito wanted to meet.

Kagami was texting him after work, and he had asked if they could go out somewhere. Kagami was still scared about being caught by paparazzi, but it’s not like they had to do anything in public. They could just meet for coffee or something. He seemed interested in getting to know someone, and honestly Kagami didn’t feel ready to jump into getting physical with someone she didn’t know that well.

Like, if Chloé asked, Kagami would be in her bed in a heartbeat, but…

Kagami almost slapped herself. She was texting this man so she would stop having those thoughts. She would get to know him, then she would get comfortable, and they could discreetly meet and Kagami could figure out her sexual feelings.

Kagami was on her way back to the hotel when she texted him back, suggesting a simple coffee date on Friday.

When Kagami got up to her room, she was surprised to see Chloé waiting outside her door with a small bag. “Chloé?”

Chloé hopped to Kagami’s side. “I got you something.”

Kagami opened her door and let Chloé inside, eyeing the bag with some curiosity. “For what?”

Chloé blinked. “To, um, thank you for everything?”

“You’ve helped me just as much, if not more-”

Chloé shoved the bag towards Kagami. “Just take it.”

Kagami raised an eyebrow and accepted the bag. She dug out the contents and discovered…

Some sort of metal rack?

“It’s… nice?” Kagami spoke hesitantly, still not sure what it was.

“It’s a tie rack,” Chloé told her, “So you can see your ties. Since you’re not wearing them, I thought it might be cute to be able to display them.”

Kagami floundered a moment, heart swelling. “Chloé, that’s… really _ really _ nice.”

“Do you like it?”

Chloé’s expression was uncharacteristically shy. Kagami marveled that someone so confident and cocky most the time became like this with Kagami, vulnerable and fussing about something as inconsequential as Kagami’s feelings. “Are you kidding? I _ love _ it.”

Kagami scurried to set up the rack and pulled out some of the ties.

Chloé stood beside her as she hung up the priceless pieces. Chloé tilted her head. “Did you get more than the ones you showed me?”  
“Just a few.”

Just a few being two animal ties, a sequined tie, one covered with fruits, and one made of the weirdest, yarn-like knitted fabric Kagami had ever touched. As she looked at the final display, she couldn’t hold back a smile. Both at how it looked, and at the knowledge that for whatever reason, Chloé thought about her and got her this. It was possibly the most thoughtful gift she’d gotten in ages.

Chloé bit her lip. “…I’m starting to worry I might have just enabled an addiction.”

“I can stop any time I want,” Kagami lied.

Chloé snorted. “I’m still scared of that farmer one.”

“That’s why I put it in the center.”

Chloé looked around the room. “It livens up the place.”

Kagami realized she hadn’t done much decorating. But that made sense, after all… “Sorry I’ve been here for so long.”

“Like I told you, you can stay as long as you want.”

“Still, you’ve done so much for me, and even got me such a nice gift…”

Chloé glared at her. “You owe me literally nothing. Just focus on like… I don’t know, feeling okay.”

“Feeling okay?”

Chloé averted her eyes. “Like I don’t know what kind of shit your mom did, but you’re allowed to be here as long as you want to stay away from her.”

Kagami stiffened at the mention of her mother. She did feel good being apart from her, but… “I’ll have to go back and face her at some point.”

“Or you could stay here,” Chloé offered all too simply.

Kagami shook her head. “Again, thank you for the offer, but this has to be temporary.”

Chloé frowned.

There was a buzz, and Kagami pulled out her phone. Kaito texted back: _ Sounds great, see you Friday! _

Kagami smiled at her phone. Chloé raised an eyebrow. “Good news?”

“Marinette just texted me something nice,” Kagami lied quickly.

She almost face-palmed. Why should she be lying about this with Chloé? Their relationship was fake, if anything Chloé ought to know if there was anything that could put their fake relationship in jeopardy. But something about telling Chloé felt wrong, leaving an ugly twist in Kagami’s gut.

Kagami didn’t know what kind of reaction she wanted. If Chloé was happy for Kagami, something about that made Kagami feel bitter. It would make the relationship feel completely fake, despite the cuddling, touching, and this gift…

But if Chloé was upset by it, Kagami didn’t think she could take that either. It would mean confronting what their relationship was, and that Kagami could have been cheating.

She steeled herself. She couldn’t be cheating on someone she wasn’t actually dating. And didn’t Kagami have the right to privacy? She didn’t owe Chloé anything about her love life. She gave Chloé a smile and changed the subject. “Thank you for the gift.”

“You're welcome,” Chloé responded.

With that, Chloé went back to finish up some work for the hotel, and Kagami sat down to continue texting Kaito.


	18. Code Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversation flowed naturally, and Kagami felt relieved he was as kind in real life as he was when texting.
> 
> Eventually, though, he brought up one of the few things Kagami didn’t want to talk about. “By the way, I don’t mean to sound like a stalker, but you’re Kagami Tsurugi, right?”

Kagami hurried to the coffee shop. She checked the time, only two minutes until meeting with Kaito. When she reached the shop, she scanned the tables. Could he be sitting down already, or should Kagami choose the seat?

A tap on her shoulder made her jump, but she held back on punching the person behind her. Good thing too, as turning her head revealed Kaito himself, grinning at her. “Perfect timing,” he said, “Let’s grab a seat.”

They ended up in a booth, facing across from each other. Though talking face-to-face was a bit strange compared to their texts, Kagami found herself relaxing eventually. Conversation flowed naturally, and Kagami felt relieved he was as kind in real life as he was when texting.

Eventually, though, he brought up one of the few things Kagami didn’t want to talk about. “By the way, I don’t mean to sound like a stalker, but you’re Kagami Tsurugi, right?”

Kagami stiffened. If he recognized her, there were only two things she was famous for. Either he knew her as the fencer who injured her knee and failed the championship last year, or he knew that she was ‘dating’ Chloé. “Did you see me on the news?”

He shook his head. “I don’t really keep up with the news.”

Kagami’s brow furrowed. “How do you know me, then?”

He laughed. “It’s kind of a crazy coincidence. I think we were supposed to have a marriage meeting awhile back?”

Kagami froze.

“I actually started using this dating app because my parents kept pressuring me to find someone. They tried that marriage meeting, but that didn’t work, huh?”

With a gulp, Kagami stared at her coffee and tried to calm herself. “I was… busy that day. My mother set up the meeting without consulting me on my schedule.”

He laughed. “Sounds like my parents. They also tend to assume my plans aren’t as important as theirs.”

Kagami dared to look up at him. He didn’t seem pissed off by her blowing off the meeting way back then. That was a relief, at least.

“Still,” He spoke with a smile, “It’s kind of crazy that we missed each other then, but ended up meeting anyway. Almost feels like fate.”

Kagami thought about how she saw him in the park. She thought about how Mother insisted she would only choose a good match for Kagami. She tried not to think about Chloé. “It sure feels that way.”

He leaned forward a bit. “You okay?”

She jerked up. “Y-yes, just still surprised. I didn’t recognize you. I didn’t realize.”

“Does that change things?”

They had met organically. Naturally, just like she had wanted. It would be rude to hold the meddling of their parents against him when it didn’t even directly lead to their meeting. “No, I’m just surprised. I need a bit of time to process.”

He laughed. “Take all the time you need.”

* * *

That evening, Kagami laid down on her bed and stared up at her phone, her contacts open.

Mother’s face looked down on her.

Her finger hovered over the ‘call’ button.

She had to apologize at some point. Her Mother was right, anyway. She had carefully considered her possible husband, choosing someone Kagami would choose on a dating app anyway.

Kaito’s words spun through her head: ‘Feels like fate.’

If this were a romance movie, things would be resolved now. If Kagami was the girl in one of those movies, this would be the final act. She had her fight with her mother about her love life, she went out with the man her mother wanted due to a convoluted series of events, and now all that was left was apologizing and getting married.

Mother was right, Kaito was nice. Kagami didn’t know him too well yet, but their conversations were good. A nice friend makes a nice boyfriend makes a nice husband… right?

Of course Mother was right. She was always right. No matter how much Kagami fought and resisted, in the end Kagami would have to bend to Mother’s will. Kagami had been dead-set on keeping up her lesbian charade with Chloé, and yet the universe found a way to tell her it was useless. No matter what Kagami did, she would end up exactly where Mother wanted her.

Maybe that’s why Kagami was hesitating on calling her, holding out just a bit longer, fighting a losing battle. She had tasted what resistance could be, and what it could lead to, and now she wanted to hang onto her newfound freedom for a while.

She put the phone down. She knew Mother would be waiting outside the fencing school Monday. She could talk to her in person, she didn’t need to rush this. Mother had been waiting every day, she could wait a little more. In fact, maybe Kagami should delay it a little longer. After all, it would be silly to jump into a relationship with Kaito. Maybe she could spend a little more time with Chloé. Another few weeks… or months…

Her phone buzzed, almost making Kagami jump off the bed. Had she accidentally called Mother? Panic rose in her throat until she looked at the screen and saw Chloé’s face. Chloé was calling her? Why would she call instead of texting?

The phone beeped as she answered, “Hello, Kagami here.”

_ “ _ _ Code red.” _

Kagami crinkled her nose. “We’ve never established a color code?”

Chloé groaned. _ “My mom’s helicopter is on its way to Paris right now.” _

“So?”

_ “So this will be my first time seeing her since coming out! I’m not doing it alone! Open your door I’m right outside.” _

Kagami spoke as she made her way to the door. “What? So you want me to meet your mother with you?”

She opened the door, and Chloé hung up the phone. “Daddy’s coming by too, apparently Mom just contacted him as well. We’re going to have that dinner we promised my dad.”

Chloé was in a black dress, knee-length and well made. Kagami couldn’t help but feel like it was familiar… “Is that a Dupain-Cheng original?”

Chloé looked like she was about to blow something up. She took a deep breath and spoke tightly, “My mother is the Queen of Fashion. As much as I hate to admit it, Marinette’s style is currently in fashion. But speaking of clothing, you need to get dressed.”

Kagami looked down at herself, in her ‘pajama’ shirt and shorts. Fair enough. “I’ll just wear the dress from the gala-”

“No, wearing the same thing twice is such a faux-pas,” Chloé barreled past Kagami and started digging through her closet, “And if Mom saw videos of us at the gala, she would definitely notice.”

Chloé pulled out a bright neon green dress with shoulder pads. “…What the hell is this?”

Kagami bit her lip. “A dress.”

“This is an insult to dresses everywhere. Where did you get it? My employees better not have put this in there.”

“Don’t be rude. It was hanging up in a thrift shop, so sad and lonely… I fell in love with it instantly.”

Chloé shook her head and returned to pawing through the closet. “The restaurant is upscale, but you can’t look like you’re trying _ too _ hard, simple but elegant is best, something like…”

A solid white tunic was pulled out of the fabrics.

“You have leggings or tights or something right?” Chloé asked.

“Yeah,” Kagami reassured her while opening a drawer.

“Good, put those on. I’m going to run up to my room to grab something, I’ll be right back.”

As Kagami changed, she wondered what Audrey Bourgeois was going to be like. Kagami did not keep up with fashion aside from celebrating whenever Marinette achieved something new, so she wasn’t super aware of Audrey’s work. Adrien had met her, and he had occasionally used Audrey as an excuse for some of Chloé’s behavior. She vaguely recalled something about absentee-parenting and the passing on of dramatic attention-seeking behaviors.

The door burst open as Chloé marched in, holding a wide ruby glittering belt and a purse. Chloé practically threw the belt at Kagami before opening the purse on her dresser. “Put that on.”

As soon as Kagami had the belt around her waist, Chloé approached with a tube of lipstick. “This shade perfectly matches the belt.”

Kagami took the tube hesitantly. She held it opened an inch from her lips. Was this Chloé’s lipstick? Had she used it before? Wasn’t this… an indirect kiss?

“What are you waiting for?” Chloé asked.

“Nothing.”

Kagami put on the lipstick, chastising herself for thinking about something so silly. It didn’t matter, Chloé was just kindly sharing her makeup.

After wrangling with some eyeliner and finding sufficient shoes (Or as Chloé phrased it, “The least bad pair to wear”) Chloé called a car to pick them up.

“Wait,” Kagami ran over to her dresser and grabbed the bracelet Chloé gave her.

Chloé gave her a funny look, but didn’t gasp or accuse Kagami of making the outfit uncoordinated, so she carried on.

In the car, Chloé was uncharacteristically quiet. She was staring out the window, brows furrowed, tapping her leg incessantly. Kagami found the sight of an anxious Chloé novel, but she also wished she wasn’t in distress.

Kagami put her hand on Chloé’s, stopping the tapping. Chloé’s gaze flickered to Kagami, eyes wide as though she had forgotten Kagami was there. Kagami gave the hand a squeeze. “Nervous?”

“No,” Chloé hissed, “I’m not nervous! Who’s nervous? Are you nervous?”

“A little, I have no clue what to expect.”

Chloé frowned. “It’s not a big deal. I mean, she is a big deal, but… Whatever, she’s probably just here for a day or two, and then she’ll be gone. Even if we have a fight or something, it’s fine.”

“Anything I should be aware of?” Kagami asked.

“I don’t know, and again, it doesn’t really matter.” Chloé’s tapping continued with her other hand. “You can flip the table if you want. I’ll back you up.”

“I’m not going to flip the table.”

“Don’t be nervous. Whatever she does or says, it doesn’t matter.”

Kagami squeezed Chloé’s hand again.

The car stopped. Chloé let out a long-suffering breath. “It’s showtime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kagami realizes she's in a romance story, but mistakes her second act complication for her love interest.


	19. Dinner with the Bourgeois'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Cut the crap, Daddy, just tell me how bad it is.”
> 
> André sighed. “I talked her through the worst of it. She’s trying, please be patient with her tonight.”
> 
> Chloé crossed her arms. “Like she’s ever been patient with me in her life.”

Despite the heightened nerves, Audrey Bourgeois was not at the table when they entered the restaurant. It seemed that, much like Chloé, Madame Bourgeois preferred to be fashionably later than the rest of the party.

Instead, there was Mayor André Bourgeois, who stood with a smile once he saw the two of them making their way over to the table. He pulled out a chair for Chloé.

Before Chloé sat down, she pulled out the chair beside that one and looked at Kagami, as though expecting something. After a moment of the three of them just staring, Chloé’s face becoming gradually more frustrated, Kagami caught on that Chloé was pulling the chair out for her. Huh.

Kagami sat down, allowing Chloé to sit down, allowing André to sit down as well.

André smiled brightly at Kagami. “It’s lovely to see you again, Kagami.”

“Nice to see you as well, Monsieur Bourgeois.”

“Please – call me André.”

Chloé interrupted the pleasantries. “Did Mom say anything about my coming out?”

André’s smile stiffened. “Now I haven’t had a chance to see her since then…”

“She called you, didn’t you?”

André paused. “…Yes.”

“So what did she say?”

“We had a conversation.” He seemed content to leave it at that, but Chloé’s glare forced him to continue, “Where your sexuality may have come up.”

“And?” Chloé’s finger was tapping the tablecloth.

“And she had some opinions on it.”

“Cut the crap, Daddy, just tell me how bad it is.”

André sighed. “I talked her through the worst of it. She’s trying, please be patient with her tonight.”

Chloé crossed her arms. “Like she’s ever been patient with me in her life.”

André stood again, “Speak of an angel, and she shall appear!”

Across the room, Audrey strutted to their table. She kept sunglasses on, even inside. On her way, she snagged a waiter and barked an order. André pulled out a chair immediately, and Audrey sat down with her arms crossed.

“Hi Mom,” Chloé said, voice neutral or at least edging on sweet.

“Chloé,” Audrey replied tersely. She looked at Kagami. “And this is…?”

André smiled. “This is Chloé’s girlfriend, Kagami Tsurugi.”

Kagami bowed her head. “Nice to meet you, Madame Bourgeois.”

Audrey snorted. “Please, Madame Bourgeois is my mother-in-law, call me Audrey.”

Well, that seemed at least a bit friendly? Kagami glanced over at Chloé, whose shoulders seemed to have relaxed a smidgen.

From there, the conversation flowed. Or rather, Audrey complained about the flight, and about the latest fashion show she went to, and about how long her order was taking, while Chloé and André hung on her every word. Kagami tried to keep up, making sure to sit up straight and make eye contact to show she was paying attention.

However, sooner or later the elephant in the room had to come up. “…So there I was, sipping wine with the finest fashion designer in Chile, when he tells me, ‘Congratulations on your daughter coming out’.”

The stiffening of all parties at the table is palpable.

Audrey continues. “Can you believe? I was terribly confused, until he showed me some article. And there was my own daughter, the latest scandal!”

“I can’t stay out of the gossip rags too long,” Chloé commented.

“Clearly,” Audrey sighed, “Couldn’t you have found something different to make a scene about, though? I don’t want to be involved in this whole LGBT drama.”

“You don’t have to be involved, Mom, it’s literally just me being myself.”

Kagami kept her mouth shut. She worried a bit about how committed Chloé was to her role. She was even willing to argue with her mother over it, even though she was actually straight.

“People are just so picky about it nowadays, you can’t say anything without a hundred people on the internet jumping down your throat for phrasing it wrong or whatever.”

André smiled at Audrey. “And it’s very kind of you to be worried about Chloé in the face of that controversy, but I think she’s been doing a great job so far.”

“Yes, I’m relieved you haven’t chopped off your hair and started wearing flannel,” Audrey said the word ‘flannel’ with an amount of disgust Kagami usually associated with trash heaps or murder, “At least you don’t _ look _ gay. You wouldn’t believe how many people I’ve met who feel the need to shove their sexuality in people’s faces.”

Chloé turned to Kagami. “Don’t you think I’m due for a haircut, babe?”

Kagami almost sputtered at the pet name. She hadn’t heard that one before.

Audrey frowned. “Don’t even joke about that.”

Chloé kept her eyes on Kagami. “Do you think I would look cute with an undercut? Or maybe even a shaved head?”

Kagami finally gathered her bearings long enough to respond, “You’d look good in whatever haircut you choose.”

André cut in, smile forced, “But of course your hair right now is _ lovely _ Chloé, let’s not make any rash decisions.”

“Yes, one gay scandal is more than enough for our family,” Audrey commented.

Chloé leaned back. Kagami expected her to snap, but surprisingly she changed the topic. “We should have another charity gala soon.”

André clapped his hands. “That would be lovely! Perhaps Audrey, dear, you’ll be able to make this one?”

“We’ll see,” Audrey responded evenly.

Fortunately the conversation slipped away from the topic of Chloé’s sexuality. As they chatted logistics about the gala, and then began to gossip about various people, Kagami started paying less attention. She stared at Chloé, admiring the outfit she chose. She wished Chloé would wear more Dupain-Cheng designs, this one seemed to complement her perfectly. She wanted to text Marinette about it, but was afraid of looking disrespectful if she started texting at the table.

“So Kagami, what do you do?” Audrey asked.

Kagami snapped back to attention at her name. “I teach fencing to kids.”

Audrey’s nose crinkled. “Fencing? Like sweating in those weird suits while swinging swords at each other?”

“We usually call it a foil. Or épée, or sabre, depending on the particularly type of fencing. But yes, it can get sweaty.”

Audrey leaned over to Chloé. “You couldn’t choose someone with a slightly better pedigree? I mean-”

“_Mom _,” Chloé’s tone was sharp, “Have you forgotten the Tsurugi family?”

Audrey blinked at that. “Tsurugi?… Oh, now that you mention it…” Audrey turned to André, “Haven’t we met a Tomoe Tsurugi?”

André nodded. “Yes, the famous fencer. Their whole family is actually quite accomplished, Olympic-level.”

“Well, perhaps we should have a meal with her next time-”

“_No _.” Chloé slammed a hand on the table.

Audrey and André both raised their eyebrows at Chloé’s outburst. Audrey spoke first. “I’m just trying to be polite, Chloé.”

Kagami wished she could shrink away, she didn’t really need this attention on the relationship between herself and her mother. “It’s fine Chloé, let it go.”

“It’s not fine.” Chloé stared her parents down. “Madame Tsurugi is canceled. She literally kicked her own daughter out of the house just because we’re-”

Kagami could feel her own face heating up. “_ Chloé _.”

That made Chloé stop to look at Kagami.

Kagami could feel Chloé’s parents’ eyes on her as well. She steadied her heart. She shouldn’t show weakness. “I told you, _ it’s fine _.”

Chloé mumbled something, but leaned back in her chair to signal she was letting it go.

André cleared his throat. “Well, as we were saying, Kagami, we’d love to have another dinner with you at some point.”

Audrey was surprisingly quiet.

“Thank you, André,” Kagami responded, just to fill the space in the air.

Chloé changed topics, and conversation flowed again. Audrey remained rather subdued compared to the beginning of the dinner. Chloé, by contrast, seemed to get more comfortable as the night went on.

Eventually they were done with their meals, and they were ready to leave. André and Chloé started walking first, engrossed in a discussion about hotel laundry management logistics. Kagami was about to follow right behind them, when a hand landed on her shoulder to stop her.

“Kagami,” Audrey spoke quietly enough that neither André not Chloé noticed.

Kagami turned to face Audrey, unsure why she would seek Kagami out alone.

Audrey coughed, then spoke stiffly, “I have to admit, I don’t really understand Chloé’s… inclinations, but she is my daughter, and as Chloé’s, uh, partner,” Audrey seemed to be stumbling over the words, like she didn’t know how to phrase anything, “You have the support of the whole Bourgeois family. If you ever need some, uh, resources…”

Kagami felt about as awkward as Audrey seemed to be, but she waited patiently as Audrey tried to string together the full thought.

“…I’m just saying, Chloé owns a hotel, and I’m sure as your, uh, partner, she would be willing to give you anything you need, and we’re quite well off, so there’s no need to be shy-”

“_Mom,” _ Chloé’s voice rang out, and Kagami breathed a sigh of relief. Chloé must’ve finally realized the two of them had lingered and came to investigate. “What are you saying to Kagami?”

Audrey pouted. “I was just welcoming her into the family, no need to sound so accusatory.”

They continued to bicker lightly all the way up until they split up into different cars.

Once Kagami and Chloé were alone again, Chloé got surprisingly close to Kagami, grabbing a hand and putting a hand on Kagami’s cheek to look closely at her face. Kagami almost blushed at the familiarity of the actions. “What did she say to you?” Chloé tugged at her, as though she could see external evidence of whatever Audrey could have said.

Kagami laughed. “She’s certainly similar to you.”

Chloé narrowed her eyes. “What.”

“She heavily implied that if I needed it, I should ask to stay at your hotel.”

Chloé blinked, surprised.

Kagami continued, “I didn’t tell her that you already offered as soon as you heard my mom might react badly.”

Chloé rolled her eyes. “She should know I wouldn’t let my girlfriend be homeless.”

Fortunately, Chloé relaxed with the knowledge Audrey hadn’t said anything rude. Even though Chloé was no longer tapping her fingers, Kagami felt compelled to link their hands together. And after the night they had… why not?

Kagami grabbed her hand. Chloé stiffened momentarily, but relaxed into it.

As they made their way to the hotel, Kagami thought back at Chloé’s behavior tonight. “I would prefer if you don’t share the complications in my relationship with my mother to everybody.”

Chloé squeezed her hand. “Sorry. I was pretty defensive about everything tonight. I didn’t think about whether you might be embarrassed.”

“I was surprised when you let go the whole ‘looking too gay’ thing and just changed the topic to starting another gala. You seemed ready to start a brawl when we went into the dinner.”

Chloé smirked. “I didn’t tell them what charity I want to raise money for.”

Kagami looked at her curiously. What did that have to do with anything?

The grin on Chloé’s face was downright devilish as she elaborated, “Want to help me look up LGBT charities when we get home?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Audrey: Idk why people are so dramatic about being LGBT???? They literally have no issues why can't they calm down??  
Chloé: Kagami was kicked out of her house for being gay!  
Audrey: ........ :o  
  
Next Chapter: A movie night, and a surprise guest ;)


	20. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “What’s your poison? Over-the-top horror movies? Too-much-CGI action movies? Absurdly cheesy rom-coms?”
> 
> “No rom-coms,” Kagami decided quickly.

Kagami rolled around on her bed, phone in her hand. Kaito was still texting her. It was nice. He was still nice. They agreed to a Monday date, but there was still a strange sickened sensation in Kagami’s gut every time she thought too long about being with him. Probably just nerves. She reminded herself that she didn’t need to rush this. She was safe, and she had time to spare.

Her phone buzzed, almost making her drop it. Once she recovered, she read the text she received from Chloé:  _ Come over. _

Kagami made her way down to Chloé’s room, wondering why. It was the evening, but still too early to go to bed. Although Kagami had a key, she knocked this time. Chloé opened the door in her pajamas with a wide smile. “Kagami!”

“…Yes?”

Chloé pulled her in and led her to the main room, where there were even more pillows than usual and a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. The television was on a streaming service, showing dozens of possible titles to watch. Chloé spread her arms out to showcase the scene. “Movie night!”

Kagami stared. “Movie night?”

Chloé nodded. “It’s a Saturday night, no work tomorrow, let’s stay up and watch whatever we want!”

Kagami stared, unsure where this was coming from. “…What is the purpose of this?”

Chloé flopped onto the couch, spreading out and filling one side. “Why not? I’m bored, and watching movies with a friend is better than watching them alone. Come on, do you have something better to do?”

With a small shake of her head, Kagami slowly lowered herself onto the other side of the couch. Back straight, palms neatly folded on her lap. She had a few sleepovers with Marinette where they watched movies, but this wasn’t Marinette. She wasn’t sure what the protocol was. 

“What’s your poison? Over-the-top horror movies? Too-much-CGI action movies? Absurdly cheesy rom-coms?”

“No rom-coms,” Kagami decided quickly.

Chloé blinked at the response, but carried on. “Okay. Then what do you want to watch?”

Kagami stared at the endless list of titles. Decisions, decisions. She wasn’t good at making decisions. “You choose.”

A shrug and flick of the remote, and Chloé chose some sort of robot-battle movie. When she leaned forward to grab some popcorn from the bowl, Kagami realized she ought to do the same. She carefully timed her grab to not interrupt Chloé’s stretches to the food.

Chloé looked sideways at Kagami. “You can relax, you know.”

Kagami leaned back, allowing her back to rest against the cushion. Chloé was now focused back on the movie. The story itself was bland, but Chloé included plenty of biting commentary. Kagami found herself laughing more at Chloé’s critical comments than the jokes of the movie itself. She was surprised to realize about half-way through the movie that she had started to lean earnestly against the cushions, actually relaxed for once in her life. She stiffened upon noticing it, but forced herself to relax again. It was fine. Chloé was also undoubtedly relaxed, sprawled on the couch.

…Had she moved closer to Kagami since they started?

No, Kagami had to be having faulty memory. Kagami had shifted a bit closer to the center to have easier access to the popcorn, so it must just seem like Chloé was closer than before. Speaking of the popcorn, Kagami flinched when she felt an unexpected touch on the back of her hand.

Chloé pulled her hand back, looking at Kagami with a sheepish smile. Kagami had forgotten to pay attention to Chloé’s movements and had accidentally reached for the popcorn at the same time as her. Kagami avoided Chloé’s eyes, focusing on collecting a handful to munch on.

Once the credits were rolling, Kagami was surprised to discover Chloé and her were only a few inches apart. Chloé’s hand was resting between the two women, open and inviting. Kagami stared at it, gulping. It would be so easy to press her own hand over it, interlocking their fingers.

But they weren’t out in public, performing for the paparazzi. This was some sort of… friendship thing? Kagami felt moderately confident saying Chloé and her were friends by now, especially since Chloé invited her to do this. Chloé was clearly making an effort to become closer. Platonically.

Kagami continued to stare, like someone starv ed eyeing a buffet. They were platonically cuddling every night, it wasn’t really a stretch to platonically hold hands. Lots of friends held hands sometimes.

She lifted her hand, hovering over Chloé’s palm…

_ BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZZZZZZZ. _

Chloé startled. She used that tempting hand to pick up her phone.

“Who’s calling this late?” Kagami asked, trying to think of anything besides how close she had been to holding Chloé’s hand like some sort of touch-starved romantic.

Chloé’s eyes widened, and a smile broke out. She pulled her phone up against her ear. “Sabrina!”

There were words coming from the phone, but Kagami couldn’t make them  out . After a few seconds, though, Chloé jumped up and ran to the door. Confused, Kagami sat up straighter and turned to keep Chloé in sight. Chloé flung open the door to her suite, and there was Sabrina Raincomprix. 

“Sabrina!” Chloé squealed before engulfing Sabrina into a hug.

Sabrina pushed her back. “Chloé.”

Her tone was terse. Kagami felt a pang at the rebuke of Chloé’s enthusiasm. Why was Sabrina being rude when Chloé was so clearly excited to see her?

Sabrina held up her phone to show a news article. “Care to tell me why I had to hear about your new  _ girlfriend _ from the  _ tabloids _ ?”

Chloé pouted. “You literally told me you were undercover and said, I quote, ‘Do not contact me under any circumstances ever until I tell you I’m done’.”

“You should have told me way before I started that mission-”

“I wasn’t even dating Kagami until a few weeks-”

They started talking over each other, and Kagami became deathly still, afraid of attracting their attention while they were arguing.

“It’s not about not telling me you got a girlfriend!”

Chloé crossed her arms. “Literally why are you being like this then?”

“You never told me you liked girls!” Sabrina snapped.

There wasn’t an easy response to that. Chloé turned away. Guilt roiled in Kagami’s gut. Their pretend relationship was hurting Chloé’s friendship. 

Sabrina’s voice softened, “We’re  _ best friends _ , I thought you told me everything…”

“I didn’t know,” Chloé huffed, “This- it’s all new to me, I thought I was straight, but…”

Kagami was impressed at Chloé’s quick thinking lies.

Sabrina took a step forward. “How did you not-? What made you-?”

Chloé met Kagami’s eyes. Kagami met her desperate gaze, and was caught. She didn’t dare look away; breath held, but unsure what she was waiting for.

“Oh,” Sabrina’s voice hardened, “I didn’t  realize she was here.”

Their eye contact broke when the two of them paid attention to Sabrina. Kagami had to suppress a shudder at Sabrina’s face. There was naked hate, aggression, and disgust in her features. She grabbed Chloé’s arm and tugged her towards the bedroom.

“Chloé, can we talk in private? Please?”

Chloé also seemed surprised by Sabrina’s response, enough to nod mutely to the request. She had enough time to send an awkward smile back to Kagami before Sabrina pulled her into the bedroom.

When the door shut behind them, Kagami swayed on the couch. Should she wait for them to come out, and finish the movie night with Chloé? Or would it be better to leave, and let them sort things out?

Kagami recalled Sabrina’s expression. She clearly wasn’t wanted here. With a heavy heart, she returned to her own suite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live for drama  
Next Chapter: Sabrina and Chloé have a chat :)


	21. Sabrina's Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did Sabrina want an apology from her now? Chloé didn’t feel like she had anything to apologize for.
> 
> Sabrina pursed her lips. “You can’t just suddenly start liking girls.”
> 
> Chloé thought back to her conversation with Rose. “Yeah I can. It happens.”

As soon as the door was shut, Chloé twisted her arm out of Sabrina’s grasp. “What the hell, Sabrina?”

“What, is she living with you now? Already?”

Chloé flushed, and decided to not mention Kagami’ s strained family situation and that she was living at the hotel for now. “It’s a Friday night and we’re dating. Obviously she’s here, we’re’ just having a movie night.”

“Like we used to have?”

“I guess? What does that have to do with anything?”

Sabrina scoffed and crossed her arms, like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She only got this stubborn and accusatory when she was furious. But Sabrina didn’t have the right to be furious with Chloé right now.

Chloé jabbed a finger at her. “What the hell is your problem? Like I said, I didn’t realize I liked Kagami until after you went off the grid. There’s literally nothing I could have done.”

It was true. As a detective, there were time periods where Sabrina had to lie low and go undercover, so it wasn’t unusual for them to stay out of contact for days or even months at a time depending on circumstances. Sabrina wasn’t at liberty to discuss a lot of the cases, but she always informed Chloé whenever she would be out of contact, and always initiated contact back up once everything had cooled down. It’s only natural that they would end up missing some big events in each others’ lives as a result. Just last year, Sabrina ended up missing Chloé’s birthday, and even though it was terribly upsetting Chloé was only mad for like a week, and got over it once Sabrina got back in contact. Sabrina’s profuse apologies also helped at that time.

Did Sabrina want an apology from her now? Chloé didn’t feel like she had anything to apologize for.

Sabrina pursed her lips. “You can’t just suddenly start liking girls.” 

Chloé thought back to her conversation with Rose. “Yeah I can. It happens.”

“Well why couldn’t it have happened sooner?” Sabrina huffed.

“I didn’t  _ think _ about it then. This is all new to me, after I started getting closer to Kagami, and hanging out with her and touching her I just… It wasn’t until then that I realized-”

“You were close to  _ me _ ,” Sabrina snapped, “We hung out, we hug and held hands and leaned on each other during our movie nights-”

“That’s not  _ the same _ ,” Chloé insisted, still confused by Sabrina’s anger.

“ _ Why not?”  _ Sabrina’s voice raised in pitch, “All that time we spent together, why couldn’t you have realized your feelings then? I could have-  _ We _ could have-”

Sabrina was looking at the ground now, voice trailing off. Chloé took a step closer, “Sabrina… what are you trying to say?”

Sabrina’s eyes snapped up to meet Chloé’s before averting, looking over her shoulder. “Fuck, Chloé, I… I had a huge crush on you.”

Chloé froze. She didn’t know that. She didn’t even know Sabrina liked girls.

“…Sometimes I think I still do.”

“Wh-” Chloé’s brain shut down and rebooted about five times. “What is that supposed to mean? What am I supposed to do with that information?”

“I don’t know…” Sabrina turned away. “I’m not like I was in high school, following you like a lovesick puppy, but it’s not like those feelings just disappeared into thin air. I had made peace with you being straight.  T hose feelings hurt, but it’s not like I had a chance… Or so I thought.”

“I didn’t know any of this.”

“I wasn’t about to tell my straight best friend I was in love with her.”

“You didn’t tell me you liked girls, either.”

Sabrina glared at Chloé. “I was afraid. I love that you’re headstrong, but you also have very strong… opinions on things. And I didn’t want to discover your opinion on homosexuality when you knew I’d seen you changing, and we slept in the same bed, and shared so much time and space together.”

Chloé clenched a fist. “I would have been fine with it.”

Sabrina snorted. “Maybe now, you are.”

Chloé didn’t like the implication of that. She wasn’t that bad in high school… Well, maybe a bit. But it’s not like she was mean to Rose and Juleka when they started dating. Well okay, she still bullied them a little, but not for that. Well, she had made a rude comment or two to them about not ogling girls in the locker room- Hmm okay she could maybe see where Sabrina was coming from. Chloé should send Rose and Juleka a very expensive fruit basket. And a nice card. 

“Fuck,” Sabrina was covering her face with her hand now, “I didn’t want to spill all of my feelings like this.”

“I am sort of in the middle of a… a date,” Chloé hesitated on the word, but powered through. The relationship was fake, but the feelings were real, and she didn’t need to complicate this situation any more by explaining the whole ruse to Sabrina right now, “Really not ideal timing.”

“Sorry, damn, I just- I saw the article, and I was so  _ pissed _ that all that time I spent fucking repressing and shutting down all those feelings, maybe, just maybe, if I had taken the chance…”

Sabrina looked up at Chloé, tears in her eyes. Chloé gulped, scared of the direction of this conversation. She didn’t know what to say.

Sabrina sniffled. “Do you think it could have worked?”

Chloé stiffened. “Us?”

A nod.

Chloé averted her eyes. “…I’m sorry.”

Sabrina sobbed.

Chloé moved to wrap her arms around her, but hesitated. Was it bad form to comfort the person you rejected? Fortunately, while she was paused in mid-air, Sabrina went ahead and grabbed Chloé, crying on her shoulder. “I’m like, super sorry,” Chloé repeated ridiculously.

“I know, I know,” Sabrina’s words were muffled and punctuated by sobs, “I knew the whole fucking time, but I still got my hopes up, wondering if maybe if I came here- God, I sure made a shitty entrance, glaring at your girlfriend and yelling at you- and yet I still hoped maybe, just maybe, you’d fucking- I don’t know, tell me that I was your- Like, the same as me, your first crush, that you had been hiding the same feelings-”

Chloé couldn’t help but argue on one point, “Even if that happened, I have a girlfriend now-”

“I fucking  _ know _ that, no need to fucking rub it in! It wasn’t the most logical set of thoughts, just a bunch of repressed shit being dragged back into the open with this new revelation about you.”

“I’m uh, sorry,” Chloé  _ really _ didn’t know what to say, so she was just going to repeat apologize in the hopes it would make something better. She liked when people apologized to her, maybe Sabrina would be the same.

Sabrina let out a choked laugh. “ _ The _ Chloé Bourgeois apologizing to me, multiple times. It’s not even necessary, I’m the one who came storming in, ruining your date, just bombarding you with my stupid fucking feelings-”

“They’re not stupid!” Chloé countered.

“-and just accusing you of like, I don’t know, not liking me back? You can’t just make yourself like me, that’s not how people work, I  _ know _ that.” Sabrina tightened her hold around Chloé, so her next words came out muffled, “…But it still hurts.”

Chloé couldn’t think of anything to say, so she just stood there, waiting for Sabrina’s crying to slow. Once it had devolved to sniffling, Sabrina pulled back.

Sabrina wrapped an arm around herself, and used the other to wipe her face as she spoke, “Again, sorry.”

“Uh…” Chloé tried to think of what Rose did when Chloé was crying all over her, “It’s- you’re fine? I’m fine? Like, I’m glad I was part of your… Journey of discovery?”

“I shouldn’t have bombarded you with all that, but…” Sabrina gave a huff that could have been mistaken for a laugh, “It feels nice to get off my chest.”

Chloé nodded. “Will you be okay?”

Sabrina bit her lip, but nodded.

Chloé tried to look at Sabrina’s red-rimmed eyes, but Sabrina turned away again.

“I should go home.”

Chloé pulled out her phone, “I’ll call you a taxi-”

“Don’t bother, I drove here straight from the station.”

Sabrina made her way to the door. Chloé followed her. She wasn’t sure how to explain Sabrina’s distraught state to Kagami, but upon leaving the bedroom she didn’t see Kagami anywhere. Did she go home?

“Um, I’ll see you around,” Sabrina said, “Bye.”

Once Sabrina was gone, Chloé investigated her suite in earnest to find Kagami. However, it was soon apparent that she had actually left. Chloé wasn’t too concerned, after all Kagami was probably still in the building. She wondered if Kagami would come back later to sleep.

Just in case, Chloé sent  her a text:  _ We finished talking, Sabrina went home. _

Then she went to bed, hoping she’d be woken up again soon by someone crawling in with her.

* * *

Kagami stared up at her ceiling. She didn’t have the buzzing feeling like she used to, but she was still struggling to sleep. Her mind kept running through Sabrina and Chloé’s argument… Or at least the part Kagami bore witness to. Sabrina knew the two girls were close, best friends even. But they were angry at each other.

Because of Kagami.

Rolling over, Kagami checked her phone: 1:34 A.M. The night was still young, she had plenty of hours until she fell asleep. She couldn’t keep running to Chloé’s room forever. Especially considering Kagami should be leaving this hotel soon.

After all, her presence was tearing apart Chloé’s relationships. This “relationship” was meant to be beneficial to  _ both _ Kagami and Chloé. Kagami was reaping plenty of benefits, but it was putting Chloé into uncomfortable positions.

Kagami had to end it, and soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm of the opinion that there's no way Sabrina would put up with so much of Chloé's shit in high school without some sort of crush pulling her through it.
> 
> Next Chapter: Kagami fucks things up ;)


	22. Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I had a lovely time tonight. Could we…?”
> 
> He started to lean forward, eyelids fluttering closed. Kagami’s eyes widened. Was this where people were supposed to kiss?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hello to the greatest villain of all: Compulsory Heterosexuality.

Chloé rolled around in her bed, uncharacteristically cold. After their movie night last night, Kagami hadn’t come to sleep with Chloé. In fact, she seemed to be avoiding Chloé entirely. All of today, Kagami wasn’t in the hotel, and she didn’t respond to Chloé’s texts except to say: _ Sorry, I’ _ _ m _ _ busy. _

Now it was nighttime and Chloé still hadn’t seen Kagami at all. It was maddening. Not to mention Chloé had to help out with a conference on Monday, so she wouldn’t even have the chance to see Kagami until the late evening. She hadn’t realized how much time she had been spending with Kagami until she was gone, leaving a strange empty space beside Chloé.

She fell asleep alone.

* * *

Kagami took a deep breath when she left work on Monday. It was time to surrender.

Mother sat at the usual bench. Kagami walked over slowly, like a criminal to the gallows. Her hands were clammy, and body buzzing unreasonably. But she had to be strong, for Chloé’s sake. She couldn’t burden her forever.

“Mother.”

Her mother maintained a stoic face. “Kagami.”

“I’m sorry for my behavior. It was immature and short-sighted. I want to come back home.”

Mother smiled. “Have you broken up with that woman?”

“No.”

Mother’s smile faltered.

“…Not yet.”

And it was back. She reached out her hand, searching for Kagami. Kagami allowed her to stroke her cheek, almost shivering under the familiar touch. Mother’s voice was sweet.

“I knew you’d come around eventually.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“You will break up with her soon?”

“Yes, tonight.”

“Good.” The hand pulled back. “You may return once it’s done.”

“Thank you very much.”

Kagami thought that the conversation would have eased her nervousness, but the whole way back to the hotel she felt fuzzy, like she was walking through a nightmare. Probably because she hadn’t broken up with Chloé yet. Once she did so, she could relax again into her mother’s arms.

Chloé was still at work, but Kagami had other things to do anyway. She prepared for her date with Kaito, trying to wear something that wouldn’t stand out too much. Jeans and a nice nondescript blouse. A normal outfit for a normal, obedient, heterosexual woman. As she considered accessorizing, her hand hovered over the bracelet Chloé had given her. In the end, she couldn’t find the strength to put it on. She didn’t want to be reminded of Chloé while with Kaito. Her insides were already wringing at imagining it.

She would go on the date, establish a romance with Kaito, go <strike> home </strike> back to the hotel, break up with Chloé, and then go home to Mother. Then everything would be over, and things could go back to normal.

* * *

Kaito was a gentleman. He pulled the chair out for her at the restaurant. Just like Chloé had.

She mentally slapped herself. She needed to think about Kaito. He was considerate enough to be giving her a chance despite her skipping their marriage meeting. He was nice, and any girl would be lucky to be on a date with him. She was supposed to treasure this time and pay attention to him.

“So how have you been?” He asked.

Their conversation flowed from there. Quiet, kind, only occasionally stilted. If she had to give it a review: Four out of five stars. He complimented her blouse. It was the plainest one in her closet.

At the end, they stepped out of the restaurant and he grabbed her hand. “Kagami.”

She turned to him and gave a small smile. Small enough that it wouldn’t appear fake.

“I had a lovely time tonight. Could we…?”

He started to lean forward, eyelids fluttering closed. Kagami’s eyes widened. Was this where people were supposed to kiss? It was a nice date. She should kiss him. This is exactly what she wanted, someone to explore her sexual urges with. And he was serving himself on a platter. She closed her eyes, leaned forward, and met him in the kiss.

It felt like her lips were pressed against his lips. She held it there, not sure what else to do, before he drew back. She drew back at that, so that was the end of the kiss? She had barely felt it begin. Her phone buzzed. “My ride is here, I should go,” She told him.

He waved her off with a smile.

Once Kagami was in the car, she stared forward, and put a single finger to her lips. Yes, that was a kiss. Was she supposed to feel something? Excitement? Nervousness? She had been a little nervous, but mostly confused. It was just flesh touching. Media she saw always described bolts of electricity, pounding hearts, and delectable tastes. Maybe those were all exaggerations.

The car stopped in front of the hotel. As soon she stepped out, she saw Chloé entering. Chloé glanced back at the sound of footsteps, and as soon as she caught sight of Kagami, her face broke out into a smile. Kagami’s heart sped up at that smile, more than it had during the entire date with Kaito.

Maybe Kagami had chosen the wrong person to kiss.

The desire to investigate overwhelmed Kagami. Half of her was dead certain of the conclusion, and the other half more uncertain than ever. Maybe all those feelings for Chloé actually meant something, rather than a byproduct of awakening her sexuality in Chloé’s presence. She needed to know.

There was one good way to check.

* * *

“Kagami!” Chloé called out, excited.

It had been over 36 hours since Chloé had last seen Kagami. It felt silly to be counting hours like that, but Chloé couldn’t help noticing when someone who had become a fixture in her life disappeared. She had spent nights cold, tossing and turning without Kagami as an anchor. It left her wondering how she had survived without Kagami before. She missed her subtle snark, her steadiness, even her ridiculous fashion sense. Speaking of, the outfit she was wearing was a little plain compared to usual. What had she been up to?

Chloé took one look at Kagami’s face and decided she didn’t care about anything else. Kagami was staring at Chloé like she was the sun, awesome and radiant.

“Chloé.”

Kagami’s voice was quiet, like she was afraid of shattering something. Chloé wasn’t sure what was going on. Had she missed Chloé as much as Chloé had missed her?

Kagami grabbed her hand and started pulling her along. “Come with me. I want to do something.”

Chloé Bourgeois, owner of the Grand Paris Hotel, daughter of the mayor of Paris, and general queen of stubborness, was willingly pulled along without a single complaint. She would follow Kagami straight into hell if that’s what she wanted.

It turned out she was just bringing Chloé to her room, though. “Kagami, what-”

“You said you were okay with kissing, right?” Kagami spoke suddenly, shifting from foot to foot.

It took Chloé a moment to figure out what exactly Kagami was talking about. “Like, for our boundaries? Uh…”

Chloé was prepared to kiss Kagami back when she had no feelings for her. She thought there was zero risk of catching any feelings no matter what she would do.

She almost laughed at past-Chloé’s ridiculousness.

Kagami soldiered on. “We should practice kissing.”

Chloé short-circuited right there. Why did Kagami want this? Were they not convincing enough? Or was Kagami starting to feel the same things as Chloé? Could Chloé bear it if Kagami decided she didn’t like it? Chloé already struggled to hold back while they were barely doing more than hand-holding, would kissing drive her over the edge? Would it just make it all the worse if Kagami didn’t return those feelings?

“Please,” Kagami asked with doe eyes.

All questions flew out the window once Kagami begged. Chloé surged forward, pulling Kagami into her arms, finally meeting their lips.

There was an overwhelming warmth that blossomed as their feelings finally joined together. Kagami’s lips were stiff for a moment, before loosening as Chloé tightened her grip around Kagami. Kagami raised her own arms to hold Chloé as well, suddenly clinging like she was drowning and Chloé was a lifesaver. Their lips moved, and Chloé was surprised by Kagami’s eager swipes with her tongue. She willingly opened her mouth, inviting Kagami to explore. As their lips and tongues moved, Chloé felt so light she was practically dizzy, unable to process anything beyond Kagami, in her arms, kissing her.

She didn’t know if one minute or one hour had passed, but eventually she had to pull back to breath, needing all her strength to pry herself away from Kagami. Their parting was met with a low whine from Kagami, which made Chloé’s temperature rise. But she needed a second to recover. “Ka-Kagami,” She started, voice coming out weak.

Kagami had no mercy and kissed her again, swallowing anything Chloé might have said. She descended back into the delightful haze of kissing, letting herself be swept away. Time continued to pass, every second a new revelation in cataloging both Kagami’s sweet spots and her own.

By the time Kagami decided to release her, Chloé’s knees were weak. She took some greedy gulps of air, brain too foggy to speak.

“We…” Kagami’s voice was low, “We should practice more at some point.”

Chloé’s voice was high and weak, “Yeah.”

So this was still practice. Chloé tried to squish her rising feeling of disappointment. Sure, Kagami still saw this as ‘pretend’, but Chloé got to _ kiss _ Kagami. That was a benefit.

_ Or a curse__,_ Chloé considered as Kagami pulled away, leaving Chloé feeling cold and unsteady. Now she knew exactly what she was missing.

Kagami’s face was flushed red, which sent Chloé’s heart soaring. There was evidence that the kiss had affected her at least a bit. Chloé doubted she was any less red, but she didn’t try to hide it as Kagami stared at her face.

“You’re a good kisser,” Kagami said.

“You too,” Chloé returned.

“Thank you.”

They continued to stare, and Chloé wanted to dive back in.

Before she could, though, Kagami spoke, “And thank you for, uh, being willing to do this. I’m sure it will be helpful in the future, in case we need to kiss in public.”

Chloé nodded dumbly, numbing herself to the disappointment.

“I’m sure you’re busy, and have things to do…” Kagami started.

“Nothing at all,” Chloé responded quickly, “I’m super free.”

Kagami backed up, blinking at that. “Oh.”

“We could… watch another movie?” Chloé asked.

Kagami nodded, biting her lip.

* * *

Kagami was so fucked. 100%, completely, utterly fucked.

She had fallen for Chloé.

That kiss was beyond her expectations. She lost her cool, becoming greedy and desperate for Chloé’s lips. Chloé probably thought she was crazy; they didn’t need to shove their tongues in each other’s throats to practice the kind of kiss one would do in front of a camera. But as soon as Chloé had responded to Kagami’s request, Kagami had been unable to hold back, exploring everything she had been too scared to confront before.

Not that she wasn’t still scared of some things. Like asking Chloé out for real. Instead, she was sitting on a couch with Chloé, a cushion’s worth of space between them while a movie Kagami couldn’t focus on played in front of them. She was a coward, preferring to hold onto the certainty that she could kiss and cuddle Chloé again over the likely rejection if she confessed. After all, Chloé said she was straight. It was one of the first things she told Kagami! She had given her a warning not to fall for her, but Kagami had somehow stumbled into it anyway.

To think this morning Kagami thought she was going to date Kaito and return to Mother. After this revelation, she couldn’t bear to ‘break up’ with Chloé. She’d just have to let Kaito down gently, and Mother… She furrowed her brow, what was she going to do about Mother in that case?

Half-way through the movie, Chloé abruptly closed the distance between them by lying her head on Kagami’s thigh. When Kagami stiffened, Chloé yawned. “I’m tired, let me rest here.”

Was Chloé trying to kill her? Kagami tried to loosen her legs, at least, so Chloé wouldn’t notice how tense she was to have her crush laying her head on her lap. She really hoped Chloé wouldn’t ask her anything about the movie afterwards, because it was impossible to pay attention to it. All her senses were honed towards her thighs, hyper-aware of every breath and shift Chloé made.

Once the film finished, Kagami didn’t have the heart to move, dislodging Chloé, but she spoke, “I should probably go to bed. Work tomorrow.”

Chloé yawned again. “Can I sleep here?”

_ No,_ Kagami wanted to say, _ Normally I slip into your bed late at night so it doesn’t feel like we’re a real couple, but also I just realized I’m in love with you and you cuddling with me in my own bed might actually make me die. _

“Of course,” Kagami said instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only took 44k and 22 chapters to get to their first kiss.
> 
> Next Chapter: It turns out actions have consequences.


	23. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When she looked at the screen, she was surprised to see Sabrina calling this early in the morning.
> 
> She answered it, “Sabrina?”
> 
> _“Chloé I’m going to murder Kagami.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout-out to radialDespair and Serenagold for predicting what exactly from last chapter generates consequences..... AKA this chapter is p much a bunch of reasons why not to kiss someone in public when you're publicly dating someone else.

A long buzz of Chloé’s phone woke her up, and when she opened her eyes she realized she didn’t wake up in her own bed. She snuggled closer to the body next to her. Kagami had let her sleep with her, in her own room, from the very beginning of the night. Maybe they could do this every night. Kagami also seemed shyer than usual  during their cuddling . Could it be she was starting to fall for Chloé?

There was still buzzing. Loathing that grabbing her phone required pulling away from Kagami, Chloé did so anyway so the sound hopefully wouldn’t wake Kagami. When she looked at  the screen , she was surprised to see Sabrina calling this early in the morning.

She answered it, “Sabrina?”

_ “Chloé I’m going to murder Kagami.” _

Chloé’s eyes widened. That woke her up a bit, but her brain was still addled from sleep. What brought this on, “Huh? Sabrina, don’t do that.”

Kagami started to stir.

_ “I swear to god Chloé, she doesn’t appreciate you, and she’s just a lying, cheating, backstabbing-” _

“Wait, wait,” Chloé was madly confused, “Why are you saying all this? She’s been nothing but kind to me.”

_ “Have you looked at the tabloids?” _

“Tabloids? Sabrina, you know those are pretty much just bundles of lies.”

_ “Pictures don’t lie. Take a look yourself.” _

Chloé’s phone buzzed again as a picture was sent through text. Still blinking into wakefulness, Chloé tapped to take a closer look.

What she saw made her bolt awake. 

Kagami was clearly kissing a man, in front of some restaurant. This wasn’t like their tabloid pictures, aided by clever angles without a clear sight to the act in question. Here, both lips were quite visible and obviously touching. They were both dressed nicely, as if on a date. Kagami was wearing the same blouse she was wearing yesterday. When she had kissed Chloé.

Betrayal shot through her heart, sending her thoughts spiraling. Kagami was cheating on her? She felt tears spring to her eyes at the realization she couldn’t even claim  _ that _ . They weren’t really dating. Chloé had gotten caught up in her own assumptions, thinking that since Chloé had fallen for Kagami maybe Kagami could do the same. Obviously Kagami was straight, what were the chances that two closeted lesbians would end up pretending to date?

_ “Did it send?” _ Sabrina’s voice came from her phone.

“Y-yeah,” Chloé’s voice cracked.

Kagami raised her head slowly. “Hm? Everything alright?”

Chloé leaned away from Kagami, feeling sick to her stomach. All those memories she held dear, getting closer, the conversations, the jokes, the cuddling, the movie nights, the  _ kissing _ were all tainted with the awareness that Kagami hadn’t cared. Or at least, not the same way Chloé had.

A sharp breath turned into sob.

That made Kagami sit up, eyes wide. Chloé turned away from her, fury building beneath the tears. Why hadn’t Kagami told her about this boyfriend? They could have worked around it. Chloé could have prepared herself and not gotten her hopes up. 

Kagami touched her shoulder. “Chloé, what-”

Chloé practically jumped out of the bed, sadness and anger swirling together as she snapped, “Don’t touch me!”

Sabrina’s voice echoed.  _ “Wait, is she there with you right now?” _   
Kagami stared at her with alarm in her eyes. Her hair was adorably mussy with bedhead.

Fuck. Chloé hung up on Sabrina, not wanting her to hear anything more. “H-How could you?” Chloé stammered out, backing away.

“’How could I’…?” Kagami leaned forward, starting to get out of bed as well. “Huh?”

Chloé shoved the phone at her face, arm stretched as far as possible to allow Kagami to see while keeping Chloé far away. Kagami squinted at the screen for a few seconds before her jaw dropped.

“Chloé, I… I…”

“After everything we-” Chloé stopped herself. She shouldn’t go bearing her soul to someone who would go behind her back. Kagami didn’t deserve to know how much Chloé treasured their time together. She had to stick to things that didn’t reveal her own feelings, “This- This will ruin my reputation. I’ll be laughingstock, someone who couldn’t keep her own girlfriend loyal.”

“I wasn’t trying to do that,” Kagami took a step closer, and Chloé drew her hand back as if burned, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking, we shouldn’t have done it in public, I was-”

“I don’t want to hear it,” Chloé choked out.

_ We shouldn’t have done it in public. _ So they should have done it privately. Who knows what they had already done privately. Maybe they cuddled too. Maybe they did even more.

“I have to go,” Chloé decided, running out of the room.

“Wait-”

Chloé didn’t want to hear anything else. She hurt enough already.

* * *

If Kagami thought she was fucked before, she was ten thousand times more fucked now.

She made Chloé Bourgeois, the love of her life,  _ cry _ .

As she stared at her bedroom door, where Chloé had fled, Kagami’s body shut down.

She dressed like she was undead. When she initially tried to walk out of the hotel, she saw a few folks with cameras at the main entrance and opted for a back door instead. What was she supposed to say? How was she supposed to justify herself to the entirety of Paris? How was she supposed to justify herself to  _ Chloé _ ?

At work, her students seemed to note her strange mood, and were more subdued than usual. She was grateful for that much, at least. Everything in life was starting to feel useless. What was the point of struggling? She had fucked everything up. All that was left was for her to wallow in the consequences.

Mother was waiting outside the building.

“Chloé and I broke up,” Kagami told her, voice listless.

It wasn’t like they officially broke up, but she doubted they were going to come back from Kagami embarrassing Chloé to all of Paris.

Mother smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m proud of you.”

* * *

Once they were back at Mother’s house ( _ home _ ), Mother walked throughout with a satisfied air. Kagami felt strange stepping back into the foyer. Everything felt smaller, and not just physically. Coming back home felt like everything that happened was no more than a desperate fever dream, and now she was stepping back into reality. She could almost feel herself turning back into that person she was before she tried resisting Mother and fell in love. She didn’t know if she’d rather forget everything wonderful that happened and surrender to ignorant bliss, or if she deserved to remember everything and suffer in this purgatory.

“You wouldn’t believe how pleased I was to see the news this morning. You made sure there was no way anyone would think my daughter was a lesbian anymore.”

Kagami held back from mentioning bisexual people exist.

“And with Kaito, of all people! We haven’t lost all hope. You apologized for that silly stunt you pulled during the marriage meeting?”

“Yes.”

Speaking of, there were several unread messages from Kaito on Kagami’s phone. She hadn’t yet gathered up the courage to look at them.

Mother ran her hand along Kagami’s cheek. “I knew my smart daughter would see sense eventually.”

Mother finally released her, letting her go up to her room.

Kagami’s room had always been her haven before. Mother was kind enough to leave it mostly private, and Kagami had it decorated exactly how she liked it. It was comforting, but a sick feeling in the back of her head told her something was missing. Not something,  _ someone _ .

Someone blonde, adorable with a haughty attitude.

She wanted Chloé here, critiquing every questionable kitschy decoration. Laughing at the weird posters, snorting at the clashing colors, and staring in fear at the tie collection. Kagami hoped she would stop missing Chloé soon. No sense in fussing over someone she’d never get to be with.

Her phone rang.

She pulled it open immediately, daring to hope Chloé was calling.

Her heart dropped when she saw it was just Marinette. She chastised herself for getting her hopes up. “Hello, Marinette?”

_ “Kagami! I just saw the news, are you okay?” _

Kagami’s lips curled down. She didn’t know why someone doing as simple as asking if she was ‘okay’ was having such an effect on her, making those dumb emotions she was suppressing start to bubble back up again. “Y-yes, it’s all over now.”

_ “What?” _

“I’m back home. Mother’s forgiven me, I’m probably never seeing Chloé again. It’s fine.”

There was a pregnant pause at the other end.  _ “Kagami, you don’t have to be fine when the media is calling you a cheater despite not technically being one. Come over and have some tea, let’s talk.” _

That almost made Kagami cry. Something familiar that wasn’t Mother, someone warm and kind who still cared about her even though she ruined everything. “Okay.”

* * *

It turned out the only thing Chloé needed to repair her and Sabrina’s friendship was someone to hate. An impromptu sleepover was called, and they were curled up on Sabrina’s couch, Chloé going to town on a gelato tub as Sabrina ranted.

“…And then we can egg her building. I’ll tell my dad to ignore any calls about vandalism around her house, it’ll be great.”

Chloé was crying as she shoveled spoonfuls of the strawberry gelato into her maw.

“She deserves to suffer in hell forever for what she did to you.”

“I don’t want her to  _ suffer _ though…” Chloé groaned.

“Chloé she  _ cheated _ on you! That’s literally one of the shittiest things a person can do to their partner!”

“She didn’t  _ technically _ cheat on me…” Chloé murmured between scoops.

Sabrina stared. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Chloé didn’t know what else to do. She was almost done with the frozen treat anyway. “Well, it all started with my dad insisting I go on dates with a bunch of ridiculous men, and Kagami’s mother trying to arrange a marriage…”

* * *

Kagami was quiet as Marinette served the tea.

“…I completely understand. It’s a simple situation. Even when pretending to date Chloé, it’s completely reasonable that you might still have feelings and fall in love for other people. It really sucks that the media caught wind of you dating someone and ended up spinning this terrible narrative out of it. By the way, who even is that guy?”

“His name is Kaito,” Kagami responded softly.

“Cool! So is he your real boyfriend? Or is it just someone you like right now?”

“I’m in love with Chloé.” Kagami confessed.

Marinette spit out her tea.

Kagami, well-accustomed to this reaction from Marinette, helped her clean the spill with practiced ease.

Once Marinette had stopped coughing, she commented, “…So I guess it’s not as simple of a situation as I thought.”

* * *

“…So all Kagami had to do was  _ pretend _ to date you, and she failed at even that?”

Chloé didn’t have an answer to that.

Sabrina continued, “Look, I’ve seen a lot of homicide cases, I haven’t committed any, but I’m pretty knowledgeable when it comes to knowing what police and detectives would be looking for at a crime scene. It would take a little bit of preparation, but I could get rid of Kagami in-”

“Please don’t,” Chloé responded, staying serious in case it wasn’t a joke.

Sabrina sighed. “Well, at least that means she didn’t break your heart.”

Chloé grimaced. “Actually…”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Chloé!”

* * *

“…And so you thought, ‘Wow I’m really interested in Chloé, I fantasize about her, and want to touch her and enjoy pretending to date her, that must mean I’m straight’?”

“Well when you put it that way, it sounds stupid.”

Marinette put her head in her hands. By now, both of them had finished their tea, but nobody was rushing to the door. It was getting late, and Kagami dreaded when her phone would ring and Mother would ask where she was.

Marinette took a deep breath. “So what do you want to do now? Chloé doesn’t know you’re in love with her, you embarrassed her in front of all of Paris, and now you’ve also got this random dude involved in the situation.”

“I’m back with Mother, so I’m doing what she wants. I’ll just never talk to Chloé again, and keep dating Kaito until we marry.”

Marinette took a deep, long-suffering breath. “Is that what you actually want?”

“It’s what I deserve.”

“But is it what you  _ want _ ?”

Kagami bristled. “I want to be with Mother, and those are her terms.”

“Kagami,” Marinette softened, pleading, “You look miserable; your mom doesn’t make you happy.”

“Mother is looking out for me. And she’s my  _ mother _ , I can’t just pretend that doesn’t mean anything.”

There were steps on the stairs, and Kagami remembered that Adrien lived here too. He came into view wearing casual clothes and slippers. “Did I hear something about complicated relationships with parents?”

Marinette stood up. “Adrien, please speak some sense into Kagami.”

Adrien chuckled. “Something else happen?”

“She’s in  _ love _ with Chloé, but ended up kissing a dude to try and convince herself she wasn’t, now they’re not talking and Kagami went back to her mom to perform heterosexuality for the rest of her life!”

Adrien’s eyes widened. “Uh…”

Kagami pouted. “Yeah, it’s a lot.”

He nodded. “…So you’re back with your mom?”

“Great, so you’re going to criticize her too?” Kagami snapped.

Mother had raised her, she had given up so much for Kagami. As kind as she knew Marinette and Adrien were, she knew they didn’t  _ understand _ . Hearing someone dismiss all of Mother’s work and effort made her want to defend her all the harder. She knew Mother wasn’t perfect, and did things people frowned upon, but family was supposed to be forever. They wanted her to drop all of that and turn back on her family, like leaving was as easy as walking out the door and never coming back.

Adrien backed off at her pissed expression. “Alright, no talking about Tomoe Tsurugi.”   
“Adrien!” Marinette exclaimed, hands on her hips.

But Adrien sat down to continue, “Can I talk about my dad, then?”

Kagami didn’t respond, avoiding his eyes. She knew enough about the whole Gabriel Agreste situation to know th at it was a not-great situation .

Adrien took that silence as an assent. “For a long time, I loved him. I knew he loved me, in his own way. But love doesn’t make everything okay. His love meant that he wanted to control everything about my life: My career, my friends, my schooling…”

Kagami could sure relate to controlling parents.

“…And I lived a long part of my life thinking that was okay. I convinced myself that since he loved me, I couldn’t be frustrated or disappointed with his behavior. And the thought of cutting him out of my life seemed impossible. Not just because he controlled me, but because I deserved to live like that. Or rather, I thought he deserved me, and it would be cruel to leave a man who was working so hard and loved me so much.”

Kagami was looking at Adrien now, but Adrien was looking off into the distance, as though seeing his old self.

“But I was unhappy. And as much as I hated to admit it, his actions directly led to a majority of my unhappiness. It got to a point where I sort of resigned myself to a life where I would always be at his beck and call, doing whatever he wanted.”

His eyes refocused, turning to Marinette.

“Then I tasted freedom. I went to school for the first time, and ended up doing all sorts of things he had kept from me. I discovered how it felt to love someone and for them to love me back  _ without  _ hurting me. And with their support, I realized not only was I happier without my dad, but I  _ deserved _ to be happy, even if that meant cutting him off.”

He reached out a hand and rested it on Kagami’s.

“Kagami,  _ you _ deserve to be happy.”

She clenched her teeth. It was impossible, Mother needed her too much, she couldn’t-

“You’re allowed to think about only yourself, and what makes you happy. Someone being your parent doesn’t make everything okay.”

Kagami hated how much she liked those words. They twisted in her gut, reminding her of every cruel thought she’d ever had of her mother,  everything she held  back and  to excuse every action  and keep their family together.

“Can you imagine a world without your mother?”

She had been living in that world, albeit briefly, by Chloé’s side. She couldn’t remember being as happy before. Tears were starting to spill. Kagami nodded shakily.

Marinette took Kagami’s other hand and spoke. “Could you make that world real?”

Kagami shook her head. She finally spoke, voice cracking, “I ruined it all, Chloé’s straight, it’s useless.”

Adrien cut back in, “I’ve known Chloé long enough to know that when she actually cares about something, she holds her cards close to her chest. If she’s been willing to tolerate your presence for so long, she has to care about you in some way.”

Marinette stared steady into Kagami’s eyes. “You won’t know until you try.”

* * *

Chloé and Sabrina were still on the couch, falling asleep to the sound of some robots getting blown up. Chloé heard Sabrina’s soft snore and mentally corrected herself: Sabrina was already asleep.

Chloé would have followed soon after if her phone hadn’t started vibrating. She opened it slowly, sleepiness making her sluggish. When she opened it, she froze.

_ Kagami Tsurugi <3 is calling… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate ending chapters on really bad notes, so I tried my best to get to a hopeful point before ending this chapter.  
Next chapter: Much nicer things hopefully.


	24. Anything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _“You-!”_ There was a groan of frustration on the other end. _“What do you even want?”_  
“To apologize, preferably in person. There’s a lot I want to say.”   
_“You think an apology is going to cut it?”_  
“I have things I need to say. And I’ll do anything.”  
_“…Anything?”_

“Please pick up, please pick up…” Kagami pleaded as the cell rang.

_ “Hi, this is Chloé-” _

“Chloé! I’m so, so sorry I-”

_ “I’m too busy to come to the phone right now, but if you believe you’re important enough to warrant my attention, leave a message after the beep.” _

The phone beeped. Kagami panicked and hung up. Then regretted it. She should at least leave a message or something expressing an interest in meeting and reconciling. And an apology. Apology first. Kagami rehearsed it a few times: “Hello Chloé, this is Kagami, I’m extremely sorry about everything I did, but I really need to talk to you. Please call me back as soon as you can. Goodbye.”

She took a deep breath and dialed again. As it rang, she ran through her speech a few more times under her breath.

A click.  _ “…Hi?” _

“Hello Chloé, this is Kagami, I’m extremely sorry about everything I did, but I really need to talk to you. Please call me back as soon as you can. Goodbye.”

Kagami hung up, feeling proud of herself. She said it all without messing up. Now she just had to be patient, wait for Chloé to check her phone, listen to the message, and-

Her phone rang.  _ Chloé Bourgeois is calling… _

Her heart picked up speed at the sight. Was she ready for this? With fingers turned hesitant, she accepted the call. “Hello-”

_ “You dumbass did you think I was my answering machine?” _

Kagami took a moment to reflect on her previous call. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t heard the answering machine message. “…Oops.”

_ “You-!”  _ There was a groan of frustration on the other end.  _ “What do you even want?” _

“To apologize, preferably in person. There’s a lot I want to say.”

_ “You think an apology is going to cut it?” _

“I have things I need to say. And I’ll do anything.”

_ “…Anything?” _

“Absolutely anything for your forgiveness.”

_ “I honestly doubt you’ll do  _ anything _ I ask for.” _

“Please,” Kagami felt irritated that Chloé was doubting her, but she maintained her cool, “Meet me and challenge me, whatever you say I’ll do, I just need to see you.”

_ “…You know what? Fucking fine. Come to the hotel in 30 minutes. I’ll be in my room.” _

“Thank you, thank you so-”

The phone clicked. Chloé had hung up.

Kagami took a deep breath. Chloé was giving her a chance. She needed to explain why she got into this mess. Whether or not Chloé was disgusted that Kagami went and developed feelings on her own, she deserved the full explanation. Kagami was going to tell her about these slowly blossoming feelings, and how she had denied them and tried to prove them away using Kaito. And maybe, just maybe, if Chloé knew how she felt, maybe Chloé would share that she  _ also… _

No, Kagami had to keep a level head. Marinette and Adrien had encouraged her so much she was starting to get optimistic about things, but what are the chances that Chloé also started falling for Kagami?

She couldn’t get her hopes up. She just had to go in, explain herself, and secure forgiveness.

* * *

Chloé made it home with ten minutes to spare. She left Sabrina a note, but hopefully she would be able to tell her next time she saw her that Kagami was regretful (and that Sabrina really definitely didn’t need to resort to murderous revenge for Chloé’s sake). Now she was sitting on the couch, finger tapping incessantly against an armrest. She turned on the TV, desperate for a distraction from the impending confrontation.

After all, there was no way for things to end the way Chloé wanted. Kagami had a boyfriend, a  _ real _ boyfriend, and no matter how much she wanted Chloé’s forgiveness, it’s not like she could just tell her ‘date me instead.’

…Could she?

There were knocks at the door. “Come in!” Chloé called.

The door was locked . Chloé was curious whether Kagami  had kept the key.

The re was a click before the door opened and Kagami stepped into the room. Chloé’s breath hitched at the sight, Kagami wearing a hideous top (whatever designer thought colorful patchwork and button-down mixed ought to be shot) but it was so  _ Kagami _ that Chloé didn’t even care. The cautious distance Kagami kept from her, like her guilt was restraining her approach, made Chloé ache for Kagami to just come over and-

Chloé coughed. She couldn’t think like that. This wasn’t a romance movie where the leads just fall into each other’s arms at the end. She needed to end this properly.

“Chloé…” Kagami took one more step forward, but no more.

“I’m not going to bite you,” Chloé told her, voice going sharp to hide her own nerves, “You can come over.”

With a nod, Kagami came and sat on a chair. Chloé turned off the television.

“...Well?” Chloé challenged her.

“I’m sorry, I was a fool, I didn’t think about consequences at all, the truth is I was pretty much running away from-”

“You already apologized on the phone,” Chloé told her.

That tossed Kagami off-balance, and whatever she was going to say seemed to evaporate from her mouth. “Y-yes, but words don’t feel like enough- I’m just trying-”

Chloé crossed her arms. “Actions speak louder than words.”

“I’m here,” Kagami stood up, “Give me a chance, Chloé, I’ll do anything.”

Chloé gulped. “Anything?”

“Yes, I told you before, anything at all.”

Fantasies about what ‘anything’ could entail flashed through Chloé’s head, and she had to avert her eyes from Kagami’s sincere expression. “You wouldn’t.”  _ You have a boyfriend. _

Kagami clenched her fists. “Don’t say that without asking me.”

“Fine,” Chloé snapped, “Date me, then.”

There was the sound of a sharp breath being drawn. Chloé didn’t dare look at Kagami’s face, instead staring off to the side like she was pouting and ignoring her. Kagami spoke softly, confused, and something oddly expectant beneath her voice, “Like… like continue pretending to date you, or…?”

“Don’t make me say it out loud!” Chloé hissed, but continued to explain anyway, “I want us  _ for real _ , I’ve wanted us  _ for real _ for ages, and that’s what you can’t do, since it turns out you’ve had a secret boyfriend, and all those things we did were just pretend-”

She was shut up from her complaints by Kagami grabbing her face and kissing her.

The shock didn’t give her time to panic, and she instinctively melted as Kagami wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. Chloé responded hesitantly to her lips, unsure what this was supposed to mean. Was this some sort of apology? Like saying ‘You can’t have me but we can at least do a goodbye kiss’? Did Kagami just want to shut her up?

She gasped as one of Kagami’s hands wandered along her face, brushing against her sensitive ear. Kagami took up a more comfortable position, sitting on Chloé’s lap, legs spread on either side of her. Chloé was pinned against the back of the couch, squirming beneath Kagami’s ministrations. She became unreasonably warm, a bundle of heat completely at Kagami’s mercy.

Indignity rose into her throat (ignoring the tongue slipping in her). How could Kagami do this? Tease her with what she would never get again? Or perhaps Kagami would offer to become some sort of friends-with-benefits thing if it would get Chloé to forgive her. Well, if Kagami was going to give her permission, Chloé was going to take.

Chloé shoved Kagami away. Kagami appeared aghast for a moment, but once Chloé pushed her onto the coffee table she licked her lips. Chloé bent over her, keeping Kagami’s legs spread with Chloé between them, and reprised their kiss. This time Chloé took everything she wanted, greedily stealing every kiss she would never get if Kagami weren’t so desperate for forgiveness. Their bodies were pressed tight against each other, but Kagami was able to pull out her arms to wrap around Chloé’s back.

The motion, as though Kagami wanted Chloé  _ for real, _ made Chloé simmer. She squeezed the side of Kagami’s waist, a spot she had found the first time they made out, and one of Kagami’s legs kicked out in reaction. Pleased with the response, Chloé parted their lips and peppered kisses along Kagami’s jaw, sucking locations that elicited other shifts of Kagami’s legs. Soon, however, those legs closed around Chloé, like a koala bear, clinging onto her like Kagami wished she could get even closer than they already were.

The kisses slid down, reaching the collarbone before Chloé pulled back to speak, “That top is hideous. Take it off.”

At this distance, Chloé got a good look at Kagami. Her hair was a mess, and the rest of her didn’t seem in any better shape. Kagami had dropped her arms when Chloé pulled back, leaving them useless on the table above her head. Her face was flushed red, eyes lidded, lips freshly-kissed. The shirt in question was rumbled and already riding up, exposing a tempting sliver of stomach. Chloé almost drooled from the sight of Kagami reduced to this by Chloé’s handiwork.

Kagami’s brain seemed to finally catch up to Chloé’s words, and her hands moved to start undoing her buttons. As her white bra peeked out, she spoke with a husky voice, “I said ‘anything’, after all.”

A sobering reminder. Chloé pulled back, overwhelemed by her own guilt. Kagami didn’t have a lot of friends, she was probably desperate to keep Chloé as one of them, willing to even make out with her for the privilege. Even willing to strip, or… or…

“Chloé?”

Chloé snapped back to the present moment, she had zoned out above Kagami, missing the undoing of the last few buttons. Chloé thoughtlessly glanced at Kagami’s deliciously exposed body before thinking better and turning her head away, pulling back. “I- I’m sorry,” Chloé told her.

Kagami’s legs squeezed, preventing Chloé from running into her room and never coming out again. “Wait a second, what?” Kagami spoke, sitting up.

“You- You don’t need to do this, I’ll forgive you- I took advantage of you there, I didn’t mean to imply that you needed to make out with me if you want to stay friends-”

“I don’t want to stay friends.”

Chloé was immensely confused by that. “…What? Then why did you-”

“I want to be girlfriends.”

Too many things about that didn’t make sense. She parroted Kagami’s earlier words back, “Like, pretending to date, or-”

“I was too scared to tell you before.” Kagami put a palm against Chloé’s cheek. “But somehow, during our whole fake-dating plan, I ended up wanting it to be real.”

Chloé could physically feel her face growing redder by the minute. Was this actually real? There’s no way. “W-what about that guy you kissed?”

“I was trying to figure out my feelings. I thought that since I kept masturbating to you maybe I had just associated sex with you and-”

“Wait you  _ masturbated _ to me?”

“Exclusively!” Kagami declared, “I’m sorry, but you’re very hot!”

“I’m sorry you’re so horny!”

“I wasn’t horny until we started dating! Which is exactly why I tried to find a random man and tried dating him, in case the horniness would ‘properly’ transfer and make me straight.”

Chloé gulped. “…Did it?”

“Obviously not! That’s why I’m here! Literally  _ begging _ for you, Chloé!” Kagami grabbed Chloé’s shoulders, “ _ Please _ date me. For real, this time.”

Kagami’s eyebrows were pressed down, determined, and her eyes shining. Chloé was weathering several waves of emotions looking down at the crush she just made out with, shirt open, and asking her out. Her nose tingled.

“…Chloé?”

“Y-yes,” Chloé hated how weak her voice sounded.

She also hated that she teared up. Oh no she was feeling a lot of emotions about this.

Fortunately, Kagami pulled her into an embrace, so she could bury her teary eyes in Kagami’s shoulder. Her body shook with quiet sobs. “Sleep here tonight.”

“Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you enjoy this chapter but wish it was a porno? Well tbh, me too. In the context of the whole story, I don't really see Chloé and Kagami fucking as soon as they make up (after all they've barely come to terms with their sexuality, and they're recovering from various miscommunications) (I'm also am tryna keep the rating 'mature' instead of 'explicit'), but I'm a horny person at heart. Therefore, I've made a separate one-shot explicit fic of Kagami apologizing to Chloé and it leading to fucking. Presenting: [I'll Do Anything](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22707763), the porno-logic reimagining of this chapter. If you're not into porn, don't worry, there's literally zero plot-relevant info in this one-shot, and since it's meant to be able to be read as a stand-alone I'm not bothering to make it part of a "series" or anything. 
> 
> BTW, the end is in sight. Next chapter should be the last. There's still Kagami's mother and Kaito to deal with, and probably a little fluff, but soon this will be over. See you next week!


	25. Resolution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She wasn’t trying to think about the unanswered texts and calls from her mother. She had set her phone on silent last night, telling Chloé that she would talk to her after work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys... Last chapter...

Kagami woke up more refreshed than she had been in ages. Her arms were wrapped around  _ her girlfriend _ (for real, this time!) and there was sunlight streaming in through the curtains. She snuggled closer to Chloé, notably less dressed than she used to be for their evening cuddles.

Her phone alarm rang, and she slipped her arm to turn it off as soon as possible, not wanting to disturb Chloé’s rest. Chloé shifted, waking up, but rather than seeming disturbed, she looked up at Kagami and  _ smiled. _

Kagami understood why people claimed Cupid shot an arrow through the heart. She felt a bolt of joy through the heart from that sight. Her fondness swept over her. She remembered that she was allowed to express her affection openly now, and kissed Chloé’s forehead.

Chloé giggled. “Don’t be late for work.”

That was a fair point. But Kagami was still able to squeeze in a handful more kisses before getting up. The whole way to work, she was basically skipping. The weather was good, her heart was fulfilled, and  _ Chloé was her girlfriend. _

She wasn’t trying to think about the unanswered texts and calls from her mother. She had set her phone on silent last night,  telling Chloé that she would talk to her after work . Adrien was right that as much as Mother loved Kagami, she had never truly been looking at what made Kagami happy, instead caught up in her own ideas of what was ‘right’ for her.

At some point, she would need to speak to Mother (not to mention Kaito), but for now she was high on requited feelings. She wasn’t going to ruin her mood that quickly.

* * *

Mother was waiting outside of Kagami’s workplace. She stood as soon as Kagami left the building, lips downturned. Her body was stiff, commanding, and her tone disapproving.

“You didn’t come home last night,” Mother told her.

Kagami took a deep breath. “I’m not coming home anymore.”

Mother reached out her hand as if to find her face and slap Kagami again, but Kagami took a step back to stay out of her range. Mother huffed. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?”

“I… I don’t want to live with you anymore. I love Chloé, I’m not going home unless you agree to accept that, and to allow me to live my life freely.”

Kagami’s heart was racing. She did love her mother; she wanted to hear that Mother loved her enough to change her mind. Kagami didn’t expect that to happen, but she would be happy to be proven wrong.  A tiny shred of hope wiggled its way up her chest, listening for any chance of reconciliation.

“What kind of drivel has gotten into your head? Rejecting me, who’s done everything for your sake? Who’s dedicated her life to you? Who gave you life?”

That hope shriveled away.  Familiar guilt swirled in her gut. She steadied herself, reminding herself of Adrien’s words. “That doesn’t give you the right to control my life. I’m my own person, not an extension of you.”

“Kagami, how dare you disrespect me-”

“No, how dare  _ you _ disrespect  _ me! _ You’ve never considered my feelings or wishes, your version of love is all for your benefit, and I refuse to live like that! I’m sorry, Mother, but right now I can’t both be happy and be with you.”

Mother scoffed. “You’re being too hasty, come home and we can talk-”

“I’m not interested in drawing this out,” Kagami took another step back, “Goodbye.”

Mother called out after her, but Kagami marched away, shoulders feeling significantly lighter.

She was shocked at how easy it ended up being. Now that she had a model of love that garnered joy instead of control, things felt clearer. All those doubts and uncertainties had grown smaller, making the severance of the connection a relief.

Now she just had one more thing to wrap up.

* * *

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with me,” Kagami told Kaito.

He glanced around the cafe awkwardly. “No problem.”

They both drank from their drinks, neither seeming ready to address it first.

When Kagami put her cup down, she sighed. She ought to start it off. “I’m sorry.”

He bit his lip. “For what? Getting me involved in some sort of public adultery scandal?”

Oof. “Yeah.”

“If I had known, I wouldn’t have…”

“I know. You’re a good person, Kaito.”

He still didn’t meet her eyes.

Kagami stared at her cup. “I’m sorry. The truth is, I was confused about my sexuality. And I thought that if I spent time with a man, and experimented with him, it would clarify some things.”

He chuckled at that. “Having a girlfriend didn’t clarify things enough?”

“Honestly? The relationship between Chloé and I was a little more… complicated than we presented to the public. But no, I thought I had to try out things.”

“I’d have liked to know I was an experiment,” He countered.

“Again, I’m sorry.” Kagami briefly closed her eyes as she recalled a speech she had been running through her head. “I’m sorry, but I’m also thankful. You were kind, polite, a wonderful person to talk to… and you did help me figure things out. Thank you.”

“What did you figure out?” He asked, finally meeting Kagami’s eyes.

“That I’m in love with Chloé.”

He snorted. “Good luck recovering that relationship.”

Kagami gave a small grin. “We resolved things. We’re dating again.”

His eyes widened, and then he laughed. “Well, I guess at least I’m not a homewrecker?”

That made Kagami chuckle. “Of course not.”

He sighed. “You’re nice too, Kagami, but… In all honesty, despite getting along, I always felt like you were holding back something when we hung out.”

“Yes,” Kagami admitted.

“You’ll forgive me if I tell you I don’t really want to spend time with you after this?”

“Completely understandable.”

Kaito was done with his drink, and stood up. “I hope your relationship with her is stronger this time around.”

Kagami smiled. “It definitely is.”

* * *

When the door to her suite opened, Chloé didn’t have to look up to know Kagami came in. She continued painting her toenails, finishing a layer of white. Kagami sneaked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her, careful not to jostle the arm holding the nailbrush.

Kagami’s voice was warm in her ear, “Doing a manicure  at home instead of at a spa ?”

“Sometimes I gotta spoil myself,” Chloé informed her.

“You’re cute. Spoil me, too.”

Chloé couldn’t help but blush at the sincere compliment. Kagami wasn’t one for baseless flattery. “I’m not your manicurist.”

Kagami squeezed her tighter. “I’m your girlfriend, though.”

Chloé sighed into the embrace. It was nice to not be second-guessing all of her actions and suppressing her feelings. She used her free hand to squeeze Kagami’s affectionately (since she could do that now, openly). “Sit down.”

Kagami took a seat beside her, shedding her shoes, socks, and stretching her foot to almost hit Chloé in the face.

Chloé pushed the foot down, grip lingering on Kagami’s ankle. “You smell.”

“You’re not painting my toes,” Kagami complained.

As Chloé shifted to get a better grip and start painting Kagami’s nails, she reflected on how much she had changed since the start of their relationship. Or rather, the start of their ‘fake’ relationship. When they had started, Chloé barely knew Kagami, or even what love was like. Chloé went out with men for societal and practical reasons, convinced everyone’s romances were shams like hers or that she hadn’t found the right man yet. Who could have predicted that she just hadn’t found the right  _ woman? _

She finished painting one foot, so she grabbed the other one. She would never have done this for anyone else she was dating. She hadn’t ever wanted to share so much with someone, or to be close like this. But when it came to Kagami, things just kept flowing so naturally that Chloé had fallen without even realizing it.

Chloé glanced up at Kagami. She seemed to be in a good mood. Had things gone well? “How was the chat with your mom?” Chloé asked, knowing that discussion was one of Kagami’s goals today.

Kagami’s face darkened. “I said what I needed to.”

“And?”

Kagami looked up at her with doe eyes. “You said I could stay in the hotel as long as I wanted, right?”

Chloé finished the toes, so she put down the nail polish and pulled Kagami closer, careful not to mess up the nails. She gave Kagami a quick peck on the lips. “As long as you want.”

Kagami smiled and responded with a kiss of her own.

Chloé wanted to do a lot more than kiss, but she didn’t want to risk getting nail polish on her furniture, so she changed the topic. “This is gonna be fun to explain to the tabloids.”

“We can say you have a cuckolding kink.”

That made Chloé flush. When had Kagami even learned that word? Had it been on one of the lists they had looked at? “We can  _ not _ say that.”

Kagami scooted closer, right into Chloé’s personal space. “I explained things to Kaito, by the way. I won’t be seeing him anymore.”

“Good.”

“He wished us luck.”

“We don’t need luck,” Chloé informed her sternly, “We’ll be actually talking to each other about our feelings this time around.”

Kagami cuddled into her arms, keeping her feet outstretched. “How’s this for some feelings: I love you.”

Chloé squeezed her. “I love you too.”

They sat like that for a minute, warm and comfortable.

Eventually, Kagami leaned forward. “Do you think the polish is dry yet?”

“Probably, why?”

Kagami gave her a mischievous smile. “We never properly tried out Rose’s sex advice.”

Although Chloé was flustered, she also laughed. “I guess we should do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End.
> 
> Thank you to all the readers who have followed along on this journey. I started this fic pretty much like: "Chloé/Kagami is cute as hell. Also I love fake-dating" and ended up squeezing over 50k from the idea (it wasn't deliberate but I tend to measure things in NaNoWriMo lengths, AKA every 50k is a NaNoWriMo, so it was a fun surprise when I finished to discover that this was that long). Thank you to everyone who has been reading and commenting, I'm very easily flustered and don't respond to comments, but I 100% notice when the same names keep popping up in my comment emails and it warms my heart. 
> 
> It's been fun, but I'm ready to let go of this story and move on to other things. AKA: Anybody here like My Hero Academia? I love it, but it's such a prolific fandom that I didn't feel the need to write for it until I discovered a dearth of BAMF Fuyumi Todoroki and Fuyumi/Miruko fics. For the past month or so I've been posting fic for that in addition to this fic, so even though I really enjoyed "Pretend" Lesbians I'm relieved to be focusing on only one multichapter series again.
> 
> Again, thank you all for reading, kudo-ing, commenting and everything. It's been wonderful!


End file.
